5 ms·

But there is more than just web browsing. Microsoft owned the entire platform at one point.

stephenr 9y ago
Why do you think google is pushing web-everything and chromebooks? They want to own the entire platform just as Microsoft did.
- home_boi 9y ago
  Their intention doesn't matter. Companies can strive for a monopoly without breaking rules. The point is that at this moment, they don't have it and there is high competition (although oligopolies) in both mobile and desktop preventing them from having a platform monopoly.
  - stephenr 9y ago
    Your comment that I replied to, didn't talk about intentions, and neither did I. You said "Microsoft owned the whole stack" (OS, Office Suite, Browser). My response is, that Google is trying to achieve the same thing: The blurred O/S+Browser that is Chrome, and browser based software like Google Apps. You're right, that what they intend to do with said monopoly is not relevant to that specific point. The point is that both saw an advantage of some kind that made it worthwhile having control over a large portion of the software their user's ran. Where it does matter though, is that in the Microsoft monopoly, it was a monopoly of defaults and business contracts only. Nothing technically prevented someone from installing a separate browser, a separate office suite, etc., on their computer. With a Chromebook, which Google is pushing heavily in education, what options do you have when it comes to installing an office suite? What options do you have when it comes to installing a different browser? If your answer is "Android Apps", I suggest you read up on Google's own docs, which show that just 10% of devices support that functionality, only 7% support it without using a Beta.
glogla 9y ago
Google owns Android, the most used computing platform in the world. It is official, Google is the new Microsoft.
- dorfsmay 9y ago
  To me, that's one more reason to use Firefox over Chrome/Chromium.
- sqeaky 9y ago
  Compare the scale of Google's Scandals to Microsoft's scandals? Microsoft lied to the Justice department, microsoft intentionally broke software on other system, microsoft actively tried to kill open source, microsoft tried to co-opt standardization bodies, microsoft has bought competitors only to fire their staff, microsoft has... Microsoft has a plethora of criminal charges levied against it. Google.... Reads your email if send to or from Gmail and sometimes some of its things don't work in FireFox and even then they try to fix it. Google open sources a bunch of things, even when there is no obvious profit motive or requirements to do so. There is a world of difference. Google's shit doesn't smell like roses, but they are only human and not overtly evil. EDIT - If you downvote me, please comment so I can know what part of what I said was wrong.
  - stephenr 9y ago
    Google does have a profit motive to open sourcing things though: keeping positive developer mindshare.
- johnsmith21006 9y ago
  Google corporate culture is vastly different than MS during their heyday.

Why do you think google is pushing web-everything and chromebooks? They want to own the entire platform just as Microsoft did.

home_boi 9y ago
Their intention doesn't matter. Companies can strive for a monopoly without breaking rules. The point is that at this moment, they don't have it and there is high competition (although oligopolies) in both mobile and desktop preventing them from having a platform monopoly.
- stephenr 9y ago
  Your comment that I replied to, didn't talk about intentions, and neither did I. You said "Microsoft owned the whole stack" (OS, Office Suite, Browser). My response is, that Google is trying to achieve the same thing: The blurred O/S+Browser that is Chrome, and browser based software like Google Apps. You're right, that what they intend to do with said monopoly is not relevant to that specific point. The point is that both saw an advantage of some kind that made it worthwhile having control over a large portion of the software their user's ran. Where it does matter though, is that in the Microsoft monopoly, it was a monopoly of defaults and business contracts only. Nothing technically prevented someone from installing a separate browser, a separate office suite, etc., on their computer. With a Chromebook, which Google is pushing heavily in education, what options do you have when it comes to installing an office suite? What options do you have when it comes to installing a different browser? If your answer is "Android Apps", I suggest you read up on Google's own docs, which show that just 10% of devices support that functionality, only 7% support it without using a Beta.

glogla 9y ago

Google owns Android, the most used computing platform in the world. It is official, Google is the new Microsoft.

dorfsmay 9y ago
To me, that's one more reason to use Firefox over Chrome/Chromium.
sqeaky 9y ago
Compare the scale of Google's Scandals to Microsoft's scandals? Microsoft lied to the Justice department, microsoft intentionally broke software on other system, microsoft actively tried to kill open source, microsoft tried to co-opt standardization bodies, microsoft has bought competitors only to fire their staff, microsoft has... Microsoft has a plethora of criminal charges levied against it. Google.... Reads your email if send to or from Gmail and sometimes some of its things don't work in FireFox and even then they try to fix it. Google open sources a bunch of things, even when there is no obvious profit motive or requirements to do so. There is a world of difference. Google's shit doesn't smell like roses, but they are only human and not overtly evil. EDIT - If you downvote me, please comment so I can know what part of what I said was wrong.
- stephenr 9y ago
  Google does have a profit motive to open sourcing things though: keeping positive developer mindshare.
johnsmith21006 9y ago
Google corporate culture is vastly different than MS during their heyday.