Depending on the outcome of the negotiations, Google (and somewhat less directly, the telcos and end-users) will have clearly taken hit points against a critica

Depending on the outcome of the negotiations, Google (and somewhat less directly, the telcos and end-users) will have clearly taken hit points against a critical part of the Android stack. A discussion of vertical integration and competition and of maintaining control over the key parts of the product stacks, of managing outside dependencies, of Adobe, and of Google and J2ME, from a few months back: http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-is-a-genius-control-freak-2010-5 http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-is-a-genius-contro... And what Oracle might seek in return here will be interesting. Buckets of money would be the most obvious, but Oracle can also play a much longer game.