Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 27th Jun 2007 19:12 UTC, submitted by Dale Smoker
Google lost its recent antitrust battle with Microsoft on Tuesday when a US District Court judge overseeing latter company's antitrust settlement declined to accept Internet search giant's request to extend the US government oversight of Microsoft's antitrust efforts. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who was scheduled to review the report in a hearing on June 26, in her ruling, refused to consider Google's petition to have the agreement extended beyond November, when major parts of it expire.
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RE[5]: Google needs some cheese with their whine
by archiesteel on Thu 28th Jun 2007 15:14
in reply to "RE[4]: Google needs some cheese with their whine"
Member since:2005-07-02
I like how you talk of my "bias" as if you are the fountain of objectivity.
I never claimed I was, but at least I don't *constantly* defend the actions of an abusive, predatory monopolist just because I work for a company whose business depends on the Windows platform. My contributions to this site have nothing to do with personal gain, and as such that *does* make me more objective, whether you like it or not.
This minor issue was nothing more than a vehicle for Google's real goal, the big prize, the big enchillada: the continued handcuffing of Microsoft by big government.
Which is a *good* thing. Microsoft *needs* continuous oversight, and if they hadn't bought their way into Bush's favors it would not have gotten off so easily. Thankfully, the Europeans will continue to make MS actually respect the laws of the countries it does business in, and curtail its predatory instincts.
So while you may celebrate this as a victory, you're sadly mistaken if you think Google feels the same way.
I'm not celebrating this as a victory, I'm saying this isn't a complete loss for Google. That's quite different, but I don't expect a MS spinster to accurately portray my words on the subject.
I say that because both slashdot and digg, normally Google lovers and Microsoft haters, really ripped Google to pieces over this issue.
Yeah, because neither of these sites is subject to Microsoft's astroturfing...
RE[5]: Google needs some cheese with their whine
by ichi on Thu 28th Jun 2007 15:19
in reply to "RE[4]: Google needs some cheese with their whine"
Member since:2007-03-06
Member since:
2006-07-04
LOL
I like how you talk of my "bias" as if you are the fountain of objectivity.
You can celebrate this as a great or minor Google victory, or devestating or minor Microsoft defeat, that's your business. But allow me to remind you of the concessions that Microsoft is making:
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,62022854,00.htm
Microsoft will create a mechanism whereby both computer makers and individuals will be able to choose a default desktop search program, much as they can choose a rival browser or media player, even though those technologies are built into Windows.
...
As part of the pact, Microsoft is required to do three things in relation to desktop search. First, it has to add the mechanism for computer makers and users to change the default desktop search. Second, that default search program "will be launched whenever Windows launches a new top-level window to provide search results". That includes the Start menu, when a user selects to display results in a new window. However, in areas, such as the Windows Explorer, where Microsoft includes a search bar, Vista "will continue to display the search results using the internal Vista desktop search functionality". Microsoft, however, must also add a link that, when clicked, will launch the default desktop search program and display that program's results.
Finally, Microsoft will "inform" software makers, computer makers and users that "the desktop search index in Vista is designed to run in the background and cede precedence over computing resources to any other software product, including third-party desktop search products and their respective search indices", according to the filing.
Microsoft must emphasize that there is no technical reason why computer makers and users cannot install rival desktop search programs "even if those products maintain separate indices from that operated by Windows." Also, Microsoft will be required to provide the technical details to enable rivals to write programs that minimize the performance impact of Vista's own search index.
I hate to break it to you, but the technical changes are minimal and not anywhere close to what Google was damanding.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070621-google-says-vista-sea...
Adding Desktop Search as a setting to the Default Settings control panel (along with the settings for default web browser, email client, IM client, and media player) is what I had predicted on another forum, and achieves nothing that Google's own installation program couldn't have done. (Google's installation program could've turned off the Vista search service; a program has to be admin to do that, but Google's installation program already runs with admin privileges). With the final "solution", Vista's deskop search isn't turned off at all! And the "information" MS will provide is already widely known. Dell already bundles Google Desktop Search (very sad for Dell users, as it's not in the same league as Vista's own search) so it's not like OEMs and whoever else didn't know that alternative search could be used or that Vista search runs on a low-priority thread, ceding time to other running processes (which flies in the face of Google's allegations, BTW).
So, Microsoft simply makes a more user-friendly UI to set a default search engine and informs the world of already well-known info. That's your victory.
But you're not seeing the forest for the trees. You're missing the big picture. Google wasn't after these minor changes which accomplish nothing Google's install program couldn't do and provides info that was already known. Google itself recognized that, so they pushed for more. And the more that they pushed for was extension of the DOJ's oversight of Microsoft, most of which terminates this November.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070625-search-fight-continue...
That's what this was really about, not these trivial changes to Vista. This minor issue was nothing more than a vehicle for Google's real goal, the big prize, the big enchillada: the continued handcuffing of Microsoft by big government. That was the goal, and Google lost, big time. Microsoft (and the government, for that matter), did just enough to shut Google up. The DOJ had no interest in this case, and even the normally grandstanding AGs didn't show much enthusiasm. The government, frankly, is tired of this anti-Microsoft stuff.
So while you may celebrate this as a victory, you're sadly mistaken if you think Google feels the same way.
And above, I talked of a loss of face for Google. I say that because both slashdot and digg, normally Google lovers and Microsoft haters, really ripped Google to pieces over this issue. They lost a bit of street cred, and really got nothing for their troubles.
Edited 2007-06-28 14:56