Agreed. Google currently is in control of a great deal of HOW we access information.
As far as those of you who do not think Google is the "next MS", please realize that Google will probably evolve into something completely different than what MS currently is like. It is not going to be completely parallel to our annoyances with MS, because the realm of dominance is completely different in much the same way IBM's stranglehold on computers was different.
First there was IBM, then MS, now it looks like Google.
What about some new technology that emerges? Would there be a dependancy on Google that makes it difficult for something new to take hold? I know of a great deal of users who cling to IE and are hesitent to switch to Firefox for this specific reason. Mixing Firefox with Google special interests is overall bad for Firefox, and good for Google.
IMO, it's a little silly for anybody to see this as good for OSS. It almost looks as though there are not good companies that Google is interested in buying, so they are looking to acquire OSS projects outright, or at least the main brains behind those projects. This is a strategic play linked to buoying their stock in the face of eBay's bad report.
They are simply trying to make gmail ubiquitous in order to promote acceptance for their software initiatives. If everybody flouts their gmail.com address, then there will eventually be a tipping point and an even larger host of followers to test their software platforms that are yet to come.
Scenario 1:
I would speculate along the lines of their software initiatives, such as the Google Browser. That is where the real intention lies. In this new war, it is all about the lowest common denominator. By offering free POP3, they are pretty much saying that advertising through email isn't unique or their main focus.
I'd wager that the lesson they learned from gmail was that advertising using email was not a good idea, so they've taken a "purist" approach and have found a longer term strategy altogether.
Scenario 2:
They are simply trying to overflow other webmail platforms. Nobody offers as much storage as Google does. I don't think I'd be able to download my mailbox from gmail into yahoo. In fact, my yahoo box would overflow in about a year, so that doesn't make sense. If my yahoo account were to overflow, I'd have a hard time to trim down 100 megs of emails because I have 100 megs of emails for a reason.
The catch here could be that they are trying to prove how superior their app is in the face of managing a massive volume of emails.
Scenario 3:
They are trying to play the card the other webmail platforms are unwilling to. Google can do this simply because of the free space they give out. If yahoo were to give out free POP3, in order to be competitive, then it would make sense to download my yahoo email into gmail.
I whole heartedly agree. We need more diversity in our information sources. The only thing that can help prevent our decidedly our new found unAmercanism is to diversify.
Slashdot Mirror
We are Google.
You will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.
Agreed. Google currently is in control of a great deal of HOW we access information.
As far as those of you who do not think Google is the "next MS", please realize that Google will probably evolve into something completely different than what MS currently is like. It is not going to be completely parallel to our annoyances with MS, because the realm of dominance is completely different in much the same way IBM's stranglehold on computers was different.
First there was IBM, then MS, now it looks like Google.
What about some new technology that emerges? Would there be a dependancy on Google that makes it difficult for something new to take hold? I know of a great deal of users who cling to IE and are hesitent to switch to Firefox for this specific reason. Mixing Firefox with Google special interests is overall bad for Firefox, and good for Google.
IMO, it's a little silly for anybody to see this as good for OSS. It almost looks as though there are not good companies that Google is interested in buying, so they are looking to acquire OSS projects outright, or at least the main brains behind those projects. This is a strategic play linked to buoying their stock in the face of eBay's bad report.
Addendum to Scenario 1:
They are simply trying to make gmail ubiquitous in order to promote acceptance for their software initiatives. If everybody flouts their gmail.com address, then there will eventually be a tipping point and an even larger host of followers to test their software platforms that are yet to come.
Scenario 1: I would speculate along the lines of their software initiatives, such as the Google Browser. That is where the real intention lies. In this new war, it is all about the lowest common denominator. By offering free POP3, they are pretty much saying that advertising through email isn't unique or their main focus. I'd wager that the lesson they learned from gmail was that advertising using email was not a good idea, so they've taken a "purist" approach and have found a longer term strategy altogether. Scenario 2: They are simply trying to overflow other webmail platforms. Nobody offers as much storage as Google does. I don't think I'd be able to download my mailbox from gmail into yahoo. In fact, my yahoo box would overflow in about a year, so that doesn't make sense. If my yahoo account were to overflow, I'd have a hard time to trim down 100 megs of emails because I have 100 megs of emails for a reason. The catch here could be that they are trying to prove how superior their app is in the face of managing a massive volume of emails. Scenario 3: They are trying to play the card the other webmail platforms are unwilling to. Google can do this simply because of the free space they give out. If yahoo were to give out free POP3, in order to be competitive, then it would make sense to download my yahoo email into gmail.
I whole heartedly agree. We need more diversity in our information sources. The only thing that can help prevent our decidedly our new found unAmercanism is to diversify.
5) zealous users who do not realize how dependent they are now and in the future
Let's see: 1) monopoly 2) bugs are features 3) global sprawl 4) two billionaires in charge Hmmm....I wonder where this is heading?