Sure, that's one way of doing it, but since this is Slashdot there is one more way that must be mentioned. Not only more fun and geekish, but also has the potential to be used several times. Build a very small, capacitor-based EMP unit and roast the box. A one-way off switch has its uses.
Google does not make operating systems or desktop software, they are a freakin' search company, and MS is not a search company. Yet MS identifies them as a competitor, just like they identify every company in existence as their competitor.
If a company is a threat to their current portfolio has never been very important to Microsoft. Remember why IE was crufted together in the first place? Netscape wasn't a direct threat to Microsoft (granted, the existence of a familiar browser on a different platform would make it much more appealing to switch), but they were the New Great Thing. And the existence of New Great Things shows people that it's possible to compete with the big guys.
There are several bloody good reasons for Microsoft to fear Google. One, they are a major threat to the MSN search engine. Two, they are rapidly expanding and making substitutes for current Microsoft products, mostly web-based. It is only a question of time before the two companies are competing over the same niches. Three, Google keeps "stealing" their employees and are hiring excellent engineers who could otherwise have been making stuff for Microsoft.
Slashdot Mirror
Sure, that's one way of doing it, but since this is Slashdot there is one more way that must be mentioned. Not only more fun and geekish, but also has the potential to be used several times. Build a very small, capacitor-based EMP unit and roast the box. A one-way off switch has its uses.
I see a lot of potential for a slippery slope here. "Distributing music in lossy formats is bad! Use FLAC or go to jail!"