People make plenty of noise about Google taking shots at Microsoft (Documents & Spreadsheets etc.) but we don’t see much about Microsoft shooting back. Now Google claims the desktop search in Microsoft Vista hinders the popular Google Desktop Search application. I’m just sorry Google used lawyers to make their case rather than publicly displayed evidence. This could be an accident or misunderstanding (and we might all win the Lotto on Father’s Day, too). Microsoft has pulled this type of maneuver before, but I wonder if that’s the case this time. Remember the old saying, “Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.” It could be Microsoft’s developers, excuse me, idiot vice presidents in charge of development, did something dumb that causes Vista’s search to interfere with Google’s search. Since the result of the clumsy interaction is reduced performance, one can make a good case that Microsoft didn’t go out and look for more reasons to make Vista slower, they just happened.
Vista’s mediocre performance is one of many reasons people hesitate to upgrade. For some, going without their Google tools would be like going without food and water. If they have to choose between Vista and Google, they’ll go Google every time. The Anybody But Microsoft club seems to be growing rather than shrinking, despite the Vista hype. Google may now be willing to acknowledge their leadership of the ABM movement, even if they announced it with lawyers. This could be interesting to watch, but dangerous for many vendors. Remember that when elephants dance, others in the room suffer.
