Slashdot Mirror


Google a "Wake-Up Call" For Microsoft

wooha points out coverage of a talk Microsoft's chief software architect, Ray Ozzie, gave at a Goldman Sachs conference in Las Vegas. Ozzie said that watching Google rake in advertising revenue was a wake-up call within Microsoft. He said Microsoft plans to do more than simply follow Google's lead by creating Web-based versions of desktop programs or duplicating its search and advertising model. (Despite Microsoft's massive investment in promoting and improving Web-based search, the company still has less than 10% of search engine market share, compared to Google's ~50% and growing.) Ozzie, who has only made a few appearances since his promotion last June to replace Bill Gates as CSA, told analysts and investors that he has been laying the groundwork for programmers across the company to build Internet-based software.

8 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Moo by Apocalypse111 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And thus, Microsoft continues its grand tradition of being late to the scene, introducing technologies we've been seeing for years in a new and annoying format, and generally maintaining the status quo in the fashion to which we have become accustomed. Mediocrity, ho!

    --
    There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
    1. Re:Moo by Pollardito · · Score: 5, Funny

      You are forgetting the biggest innovations of Microsoft - Clippy, and UAC! it seems like you are [trying to make a joke on Slashdot], would you like to start with one of the [Slashdot Joke Templates]?

      1. "in Soviet Russia..."
      2. "...you ignorant clod!"
      3. "Natalie Portman & hot grits"
      4. "We welcome our overlords"

      -Clippy
    2. Re:Moo by joshetc · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've used all 3 major engines (Yahoo!, MSN, and Google) several times. Here is what I found:

      Yahoo -> tons of annoying ads
      MSN -> tons of annoying ads
      Google -> a few text based ads

      To me it really doesn't even matter who has the "better" search engine.

  2. Internet-based? by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ozzie, who has only made a few appearances since his promotion last June to replace Bill Gates as CSA, told analysts and investors that he has been laying the groundwork for programmers across the company to build Internet-based software.
    You mean, ActiveX-based software, right? It's not like these applications are going to really function on any platform other than Internet Explorer (and even then, probably 6.0 MINIMALLY) and Windows XP, and there will be no support for Linux, UNIX, OSX, Windows 2000, etc...

    Google offers a great opportunity for those who want to break themselves of the Microsoft habit. Cross-platform, functional on multiple OSes, web browsers, and with minimal requirements.
    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  3. "Integrating" them into the OS. by khasim · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Remember, Microsoft still has their desktop monopoly. That gives them the edge is "integrating" new tech.

    Which is also why Microsoft cannot follow Google's lead on this. Microsoft's revenue is based upon the concept of:
    one user
    per physical box
    per licensed OS copy
    per licensed office suit copy.

    Microsoft will not do anything that could harm those revenue streams.

  4. Google is cherry picking MSFT's lunch by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The most difficult market to take out of MSFT's grasp is the Office software, with legacy files, macros, APIs, integration with workflow etc. And since Office is tied to Windows OS, it allows MSFT to continually tweak the OS, foist upgrades in a never ending cycle. But another big cake in MSFT's plate is the license revenue from the Microsoft Exchange Server. It is not bulk priced, every email id created by the its corporate clients not MSFT, creates license revenue for MSFT. This is the market most easily wrenched from MSFT's grasp.

    A good browser is all the interface needed to deliver email. And not being tied to a machine but being available over the net is a useful thing. So the Google Calender and email can compete with MSFT. That is where is Google is making a move. The corporate email market is so big and is such a huge revenue generator, there is place for both Google and Exchange and Lotus Notes and may be yet another player. If Google corners anywhere between 20% to 33% of the corporate email market, it can outfox MSFT. If the next upgrade of Vista is not compatible with Gmail's corporate clients, they would even consider not upgrading. Already there is some reluctance in the marketplace to upgrade and people are getting upgrade-weary. If the OS upgrade forcing Office grade cycle gets broken, and if some corporations demand true interoperability instead of settling for MSFT compatibility, cracks will develop in MSFT's dominance. But it is all well into the future. Might take 5 years for this to happen.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  5. Re:This is news? by skoaldipper · · Score: 5, Interesting
    > Does anyone not believe Google is a wakeup call to Microsoft?

    Yahoo is the only search engine that appears to be holding Google off.
    Does anyone not believe Yahoo is a wakeup call to Google? Why have all others declined while yahoo's cleats are so firmly entrenched at the 3 yard line? That should at least give google inc some pause for concern. I say the reason is in small part because yahoo mail is so popular - driving so many users to their other services in part from clickity click convenience alone. Personally, I still find myself using yahoo mail exclusively over gmail. That thing ever gonna move from beta?
    --
    I hope, when they die, cartoon characters have to answer for their sins.
  6. Re:Always too little too late by notaprguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sorry but what "rich content" does Google provide? Google is the yellow pages so I guess if you consider advertising "rich content" then your statement is accuraet. If you think that Google isn't motivated by financial interests then you're a very scary type of pollyanna. Also, if I were the paranoid type (which I'm not) I'd be way more scared of Google than I am of Microsoft. Google knows who you are, what you do on the Internet, who you conduct transactions with, who you send email to (if you use Gmail) etc etc.