Google finally admits to going after Microsoft.

Googles CEO Eric Schmidt, according to the reports, said to shareholders yesterday that the new tagline will be "Search, Ads & Apps".



This will put the wind up Microsoft as Google are already more or less the global gatekeepers to net based information. That's putting it kind of strongly I know but think for a minute. What's the phrase that people use to mean search? "To google for something". So widespread now is this idea that the name google is coming to mean "to search for". This goes against published google policy when they asked people to stop using their name instead of the word search as it demeans the name. Little use that such a request was.

A shareholder at the meeting asked Schmidt and Google co-founder Larry Page how they would avoid becoming known as 'the new Microsoft, and not in flattering terms'. Page answered by saying that Google was not the same kind of company as Microsoft because its engineers all run Linux. "Linux is free. You can hack on it. It’s deep in our DNA.”

Which only raises the question of what happens if/when Google want money from you for using this wonderful free code that they use?

For Microsoft this must be the beginning of their worst nightmare. First Linux can't be fudded out of existence, then Vista's sales are dismal, then the recent Dell thing, which regardless of what you think about the finer details is testament to a real and growing demand "out there amongst Joe Public" and now this.

Full Story