Google V/s The Best Companies In The World

[linuxguy 0]

chirag, i know what AJAX is and I also know that google came up with it first. But just look at the two services. M$'s service is much slicker...

[Chirag 5]

i dont find any significant difference!

[abhay 0]

hahahha now its not just google V/S m$uckz ! itz google V/S everyone

Why Google pokes nose into other cos?

NEW YORK: Wal-Mart, nation's largest retailer, often intimidates its competitors and suppliers. Makers of goods from diapers to DVD's must cater to its whims. But there is one company that even Wal-Mart eyes warily these days: Google, a seven-year-old business in a seemingly distant industry.

"We watch Google closely at Wal-Mart," said Jim Breyer, a member of Wal-Mart's board. In Google, Wal-Mart sees both a technology pioneer and the seed of a threat, said Breyer. The worry is that by making information available everywhere, Google might soon be able to tell Wal-Mart shoppers if better bargains are available nearby.

Wal-Mart is not alone in its concern. As Google increasingly becomes the starting point for finding information and buying products and services, companies that even a year ago did not see themselves as competing with Google are beginning to view the company with some angst — mixed with admiration.

Google's recent moves have stirred concern in industries from book publishing to telecommunications. Businesses already feeling Google effect include advertising, software and the news media. Apart from retailing, Google's disruptive presence may soon be felt in real estate and auto sales.

Google could extend its economic reach in the next few years as more people get high-speed Internet service and cellphones become full-fledged search tools, according to analysts.

And ever-smarter software, they say, will cull and organise larger and larger digital storehouses of news, images, real estate listings and traffic reports, delivering results that are more like the advice of a trusted human expert.

Such advances, predicts Esther Dyson, a technology consultant, will bring "a huge reduction in inefficiency everywhere." That, in turn, would be an unsettling force for all sorts of industries and workers. But it would also reward consumers with lower prices and open up opportunities for new companies.

Google, then, may turn out to have a more far-reaching impact than earlier Web winners like Amazon and eBay. "Google is the realisation of everything that we thought the Internet was going to be about but really wasn't until Google," said David B. Yoffie, a professor at Harvard Business School.

Google, to be sure, is but one company at the forefront of the continuing spread of Internet technology. It has many competitors, and it could stumble. In the search market alone, Google faces formidable rivals like Microsoft and Yahoo.

Microsoft, is pushing hard to catch Google in Internet search. "This is hyper-competition, make no mistake," said Bill Gates, Microsoft's CEO. "The magic moment will come when our search is demonstrably better than Google's," he said, suggesting that this could happen in a year or so.

Still, apart from its front-runner status, Google is also remarkable for its pace of innovation and for how broadly it seems to interpret its mission to "organise the world's information and make it universally  accessible and useful."

The company's current lineup of offerings includes: software for searching personal computer files; an e-mail service; maps; satellite images; instant messaging; blogging tools; a service for posting and sharing digital photos; and specialised searches for news, video, shopping and local information.

Google Print, is a project to copy and catalogue millions of books; it faces lawsuits by some publishers and authors who say it violates copyright law.

Google, which tends to keep its plans secret, certainly has wealth to fund ambitious ventures. Its revenues are growing by nearly 100% a year, and its profits are rising even faster. Its executives speak of its outlook only in broad strokes, but they suggest all but unlimited horizons.

"We believe that search networks as industries remain in their nascent stages of growth with great forward potential," Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, said.

Among the many projects being developed and debated inside Google is a real estate service.

In the search market alone, Google faces formidable rivals like Microsoft and Yahoo.

Microsoft, is pushing hard to catch Google in Internet search. "This is hyper-competition, make no mistake," said Bill Gates, Microsoft's CEO. "The magic moment will come when our search is demonstrably better than Google's," he said, suggesting that this could happen in a year or so.

looking @ google labs work force i think microsoft has very severe compitition ? do u think M$uckz will have a better search than BIG G's

Edited November 7, 2005 by abhay

[Chirag 5]

Quite impressed with Google! ppl look upto it coz it has evolved with time, and its "innovative" and not jus trying to copy up stuff or ideas available elsewhere! Thats its strength, which is difficult to beat.

[abhay 0]

Google, Yahoo Go Mobile

Google and Yahoo are all set to launch new wireless services, using advanced networks and cellphones to provide features similar to those available on computers.

This is great news for mobile internet or "3G" services, which till date have proved a major disappointment for users who have had to contend with lengthy download times and patchy network coverage.

Yahoo plans to partner with US-based SBC Communications to launch a mobile telephone; this model will then be extended to the UK. The service will link mobile phone services to accounts and other personalized features of Yahoo! users.

SBC executives revealed that the SBC-Yahoo phone will be manufactured by Nokia and is expected to be available early next year. Operating on Cingular Wireless network, the phone will incorporate an MP3 player, 1.3 Megapixel camera, removable memory card and will cost around $200 to $300.

Earlier, Google started allowing US consumers to get search results by sending text messages from mobile phones. Now, consumers whose phones support Java software will be able to download the Google Local application. From there, they will be able to conduct searches in a specific geographical location, and view the search results plotted on a map.

These moves by Yahoo and Google indicate a step further in the evolution of cellphones, from mere communication devices to mini-computers capable of being used for email, Web browsing, music downloading and watching TV, in addition to calls.

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/artic...9040&cat_id=583

EDIT :-

Google Gets More Cozy with Firefox

As the default start page and built-in search utility, it's no surprise that Google wants Firefox to succeed in a market dominated by Microsoft's Internet Explorer. But the company has recently pulled closer to the open source Web browser, funding usability testing and launching a Firefox affiliate program.

In a post to his Web log late last week, lead Firefox engineer Ben Goodger -- who began working at Google in January -- reported on efforts to improve the browser's tabs. Tabbed browsing makes it possible to open multiple Web sites in the same window, but the concept is still fairly young.

"The challenges that face us building the Firefox UI is how to make Tabbed Browsing useful to those who want it, discoverable to those whose lives would be made easier by it, and transparent to those who don't need it," Goodger wrote.

To that end, Google, not Mozilla, held usability studies to figure out how people responded to tabs in Firefox 1.5 Beta 1. One of the results, according to Goodger, was that people have trouble with Back button behavior as opening a new tab resets the history. Closing of tabs was also difficult for some.

"At Google, we are constantly bit by the z-index issue since we use a lot of web apps," Goodger explained. "When you have targeted links open new windows, when you close the opened window the page you came from is usually the window behind it, so it works out nicely. With tabs, not so much."

In response, Google, which employs a handful of Mozilla developers, has built experimental versions of Firefox with changes to the way tabs work. It's not clear if any of the modifications will make their way into the official Firefox release, but Goodger has requested public feedback.

Cutting paychecks to Firefox engineers and helping improve tabbed browsing aren't the only things Google is doing to aid Mozilla. The company recently unveiled a new "Referrals" program as part of its AdSense advertising service for webmasters.

By placing a special button on their pages, site owners can earn $1 USD every time someone downloads Firefox. With the upstart browser recently surpassing the 100 million download mark, however, Google says it will only pay "for the first time" a user runs the Web browser.

"We're very excited about this program and hope to see more similar programs available to web publishers in the future," said Mozilla developer Asa Dotzler.

In addition to cozying up with Firefox, Google has also established ties to the OpenOffice.org program through an agreement with Sun Microsystems. Google will pledge resources to help the open source productivity suite in its quest to offer a capable, free alternative to Microsoft Office.

But how will the Firefox community respond to an encroachment by the corporate search giant? Some users remain skeptical of Google's intentions, but many are welcoming the extra support as Firefox continues to chip away at IE's Web dominance.

"I think it is great that Google invest the time and money to improve Firefox usability," one user wrote on Goodger's blog. "Why do they do it? Maybe they just want the best possible transporter for their services? Besides, Google are the good guys..."

http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_Get...efox/1131409250

Edited November 9, 2005 by abhay

[abhay 0]

Report: 1 Million Mac Switchers in 2005

As many as one million Windows users may have switched to Mac OS X, according to a note released on Monday to clients of financial firm Needham & Co. Analyst Charles Wolf disclosed the estimate and said Apple's current stock price of $61 has met the company's price target.

Due to this, the company is downgrading the stock to "hold," although with reservation.

Wolf said Apple's stock price could go higher still, as "the frenetic pace of innovation at Apple could present new opportunities." However, at its current level, the company feels the stock is fully valued.

But the most notable part of the report was not the stock downgrade.

Needham & Co. had earlier forecasted a half-million Windows users would switch to Apple's Mac platform during the entire year. Wolf now says that the estimate was too low because the firm had only taken into account switchers who had bought an iPod first.

Instead, one million Windows users have likely purchased a Mac in the first nine months of 2005, and it could even eclipse the company's 1.3 million-unit target for 2006 before the year is out. The firm is assuming that much of the growth behind Apple's computer sales is due to Windows switchers.

Growth in Apple's retail store chain also led eedham & Co. to reassess the "halo effect" -- locations are seeing 46 percent more visitors and 45 percent more sales year over year.

While the iPod may be fueling much of the growth, Wolf said that the reason why people are switching is not only due to a "positive user experience" with the ubiquitous music player, but rather continued virus and malware issues that plague the Microsoft operating system.

Also, instead of purchasing a Mac Mini, which most analysts at launch said was an obvious effort at introducing Windows users to Macs, switchers are opting for higher-end models that bring Apple larger profit margins.

"New products and innovative strategies from Apple should keep coming," Wolf told clients. "However, we can't quantify them in our valuation model since we don't know what they are."

http://www.betanews.com/article/Report_1_M...2005/1131390633

[linuxguy 0]

Heh. Just wait until Apple releases x86 based machines! Windows will have a tough rival then!

[abhay 0]

Heh. Just wait until Apple releases x86 based machines! Windows will have a tough rival then!

46272[/snapback]

hmm yup very true!

i dont belive i am actully saying this but i visited www.live.com 2day! and saw how fast its interface was!

M$ RIVALS are gonna have a tough compitition now! and lokin @ the interface i think next versition of hotmail should be as good as GMAIL only interfacewise

[linuxguy 0]

you know what? The reason why M$ was spooked into working on Vista is because Mac is going x86! Windoze live is looking alright. Not very appealing at the moment...

[abhay 0]

you know what? The reason why M$ was spooked into working on Vista is because Mac is going x86! Windoze live is looking alright. Not very appealing at the moment...

46450[/snapback]

but the interface is very GMAIL'Y! thats what i liked about it!

Google Personalized Search Ready

Google has announced that its Personalized Search has graduated from Google Labs and is ready for prime time.

Personalized Search is an improvement to Google search that orders results based on previous queries. Learning from the history of searches and search results that have been clicked on, Personalized Search brings certain results closer to the top when it's clear they're most relevant to the user. For example, a user who recently searched on iPod accessories who enters a query on [apple] would be shown results related to the computer manufacturer before those related to fruit.

In addition to coming off Google Labs, Personalized Search also now includes several new features, such as Bookmarks and Searchable Labels, Remove Results and International Expansion.

With Bookmarks and Searchable Labels users can create bookmarks and add searchable labels and notes to any item in their search history to help organize their information. Since these are created through a Google Account, this information is accessible from any computer by signing in to their account.

Remove Results offers users greater control over search results by enabling them to remove unwanted results from future searches. Users can remove a single page or an entire site, for one search or all future searches.

Personalized Search is now available in 39 domains and 12 languages and will be offered to all users when they create a new Google Account. The Personalized Homepage is also now available in 17 domains and 12 languages.

Google maintains that in addition to enhancing product functionality, it continues to take proactive steps to protect user privacy and give users control of their personal data. Expanding on its existing options for easily pausing the service or removing items from search history, Google is also adding increased password protection for stronger security.

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/artic...9113&cat_id=643

[linuxguy 0]

umm...dude now the web is going AJAX, so all interfaces will look GMAILy

[abhay 0]

Google Offering Offline Services

Google commissioned a research on the amount of dead time spent by passengers at airports, which was conducted by market research firm, Tickbox.net, sampling 1,826 UK consumers. What came up were some very interesting findings...

An average airline passenger spends over 9 hours a year waiting for flights; in effect losing over a day of annual holiday allowance per year, which means almost 3 weeks of average work-life gone... just like that!

Nearly a half of the British passengers surveyed, said that they could do no better than eat, drink and shop at the airport. However, 71 per cent of the respondents said that they would prefer to utilize airport time to find out more about their destination.

From the things people wanted to know regarding their destination; maps, weather forecasts, avoidable tourist traps, guides to famous sites and landmarks, and information on traveling to the city centre figured among the top five. A quarter of the sample subjects said, that they would love to send-off last minute emails, while a further 20 percent said, that they would want to pay-off their household bills online.

On the basis of the survey, Google launched "Google Space" at London's Heathrow Terminal One yesterday.

"Google Space" is a laboratory with Google pods, which travelers can access free-of-cost, log onto the Internet, check their mail, and find out more about their destination using Google tools.

"Google Space" is scheduled to run at Heathrow's Terminal One till 17 December. Google staff will be available at "Google Space" for advice and assistance to passengers.

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/artic...9388&cat_id=643

[abhay 0]

Microsoft Fremont vs. Google Base

Close on the heels of "Google Base", Microsoft is set to foray into online classifieds with "Fremont" - a service which will focus on classified announcements of products and services for sale, by individuals or commercial entities without a Web presence.

"Fremont" has reportedly been available in test form to Microsoft employees since last week, and is expected to launch in a couple of weeks from now.

Microsoft's "Fremont", which derives its name from a Seattle neighborhood hosting a busy Sunday market, has been tested by MSN - the company's online services arm.

"Fremont" will allow users to enter details of personal items in a specially designed database. The database information will either be made search-able by Microsoft's internet search engine, or will be restricted to a limited group of personal contacts.

In many ways, "Fremont" echoes "Google Base", which is also a structured database inviting users to enter information in a prescribed format.

However unlike Google, which has apparently not given any thought as to how users will control the data that they feed into Google Base, "Fremont" promises to give users the ability to restrict access to information to particular groups of people. "Fremont" will be integrated with other MSN services, such as the Messenger instant messaging service.

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/artic...9502&cat_id=643

Microsoft OneCare Goes Live

Microsoft Corporation is offering the free test beta of its Windows OneCare Live Product to the general public.

According to a spokesperson for Microsoft, the new service offering firewall protection, virus scanning, data back-up and recovery, plus personal computer maintenance will eventually be made available for a subscription fee.

Microsoft's OneCare beta can be downloaded from Microsoft's Web site, and uses a color-coded system to offer full-time protection against network threats. The OneCare software currently supports Windows XP Service Pack 2, and requires users to remove competing titles before installation.

Dennis Bonsall, group product manager, Windows OneCare, called the beta a "home run", and said that the public release would give Microsoft a chance to test its ability to scale the service for a larger user base.

OneCare is the latest in Microsoft's Live series. Windows Live is a free Web-based service which incorporates Web searches, email, syndicated headlines from other sites, and photos and audio from across the Web.

Microsoft has not specified when the beta period will end.

Edited December 1, 2005 by abhay

[MVP 3]

I'd like to know how many of you M$ haters really don't use Windows at all.Its been a fashion to say Windows s***s and other such things.I'm not a M$ supporter or anything but I see a lot of people with double standards, people who will go to any length to prove Windows is bad but at the same time can't do without it.Some have dual booting systems to show they use linux but they still need Windows in one partition.My intention is not to start a Windows Vs *nix debate,frankly no.*nix is great.All I want to say is,people who hate Windows or M$ please be true to your words and use *nix.

[linuxguy 0]

I am 100% Windows ***FREE***

router : P1 166MHz MMX - Debian GNU/Linux

main comp: P4 2.8GHz HT Northwood 800MHz FSB - Fedora Core 2

secondary comp: AMD Sempron 2200+ - Mandrake 10.1

laptop: Dell Inspiron 510m - Fedora Core 2

And oh yeah, Windoze s**ks!!!!1111

[anujit 0]

Windows. Compatibility. Rawks. Peace-of-mind. Rawks.

Sadists enjoy Linux.

Yes Windows has security flaws. But its way better than anything Linux is today.

And M$ usually gets most things right. Late though it might be. Remember IE 4.0 was a far better browser than Netscape ever was. BSOD. Upgrade to Win2k or XP. Its gone.

Security flaws are there by the trillions in XP. But I dont need to bash my head against the wall to make it work. I'm happy.

Of course I use Google for my search, email and other needs. But I'm not trading in my OS or my office suite for anything. TYVM.

[abhay 0]

And M$ usually gets most things right. Late though it might be. Remember IE 4.0 was a far better browser than Netscape ever was. BSOD. Upgrade to Win2k or XP. Its gone.

49025[/snapback]

i think the only and only reason IE has the largest share in browser market is because it comes with windows installed! i bet ya if the consumer is given a choice from the start then they will ofcourse choose some other browser may b FIREFOX/OPERA but not i repeat not IE

[anujit 0]

Dude I use FF too. And love it (have been using it since version 0.7).

But IE became the dominant browser after the great browser wars in the late 90's. It happened because IE 4.0 turned out to be a million times better than Netscape 4.0. This ultimately drove Netscape close to bankruptcy and they were taken over by AOL. And then Time & then it just gets too confusing.

And after winning that battle. M$ almost put IE to sleep. And they now wont even bring out a version 7 for anything below WinXP. And thats plain plain plain stupid.

[linuxguy 0]

Uh...the only reason IE is the most "widely" used browser because it comes preinstalled with Windoze just like WMP. Corporates, Schools, Colleges and other institutions wont install firefox or other browsers. Why would they? when IE comes preinstalled with Windows? It gets the job done. If M$ removed their ****y browser and gave people a choice I would guarantee you that 90% would use an alternative browser.

And Anujit, if Linux s**ks so big time then why are you using FF? They both are the "incompatible" "stupid" "slow" things released by the Open Source community! Oh... or are you just fearing Internet Exploder might just hose your system? Well in that case your precious M$ is here! Why dont you just apply all the latest patches and hope and pray real hard that IE doesn't let in some worm!

[abhay 0]

oye tussi chaaa gaye ho

[anujit 0]

Dude Linux su**ing has very little to do with FF! I never said open source was bad did I! Most of the programs I use are open source! Cool it man don't get mad and argue like a woman (i.e. trying to imply things that I never said or meant)!

And dude really relax! I never did say FF or Linux was a stupid slow thing! And don't get mad at me for saying that Linux s**ks because of its compatiblity and easy of use issues - you agreed with me on that account in another post here!

And dude the browser war did happen when M$ launched IE 4. By IE 5 it was over. And yes IE 4, 5 & 6 were a billion times better than the alternatives available then. I wouldnt hesitate to pick any of those versions over any comparable version of Netscape or Opera. Sure bundling helped. But IE was a better browser THEN. Dude deal with it. Its not just me anyone who has used those browsers agree! Its only after IE 6 that M$ went into legal battles with the world (actually the legal battles had started long before but they intensified in 2000-2001) and they just stopped caring about doing anything new with IE!

I'm not sure how many of you were around following the IT world at that time. But I'm sure history books have that well documented!

Its only now that we have a better browser alternative. And thans to FF, Opera and Netscape have become better alternatives too. Well not Netscape just Opera!

And yes we have a far better desktop search tool from Google as compared to the thing that came with Windows. So I switched to that. And yes I got a far better email service from Gmail so I stopped using Yahoo & Hotmail. And yes Encarta was the best encylopedia in the world and so I used that over EB, and the rest!

It doesnt make me pro or anti open source or Linux or Oracle or anyone inbetween. I like things that work best for me. And I make informed decisions based on informed sources and trying things out myself. (And I did try Linux you know that ) So chill dude!

Edited December 3, 2005 by anujit

[abhay 0]

But IE was a better browser. Dude deal with it.

I'm not sure how many of you were around following the IT world at that time. But I'm sure history books have that well documented!

49093[/snapback]

yup we know IE was better infact @ that time i would have argued with you being ON IE's SIDE not against it but as per current sitution there is no single doubt that IE is the worst browser avalible and there are million times better options avaliable wether OPEN source or no

ps :- IE was a better browser but now it simply is a mess

Edited December 3, 2005 by abhay

[linuxguy 0]

anujit, i did agree on the part that Linux does lack device compatibility but that doesnt mean that you should say it s**ks. The hardware which it does support works like a dream. I have yet to experience a lock up on any of my machines running linux. My routers uptime is better than my ISPs. I can never trust Windows with anything especially my precious data.

[abhay 0]

Google Desktop Immune to IE Bug

Google has announced that it has made an "adjustment" to its Google Desktop application, to foil attacks that take advantage of an un-patched vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser.

The IE vulnerability was reported late last week by Israeli security researcher Matan Gillon, who found a way of stealing information from un-witting Google Desktop users through exploiting the IE flaw.

Gillon crafted a Web page, which when viewed in IE on a computer with Google Desktop installed, used the search tool and returned results for the query "password".

The researcher described the IE flaw as a design flaw, which causes IE to allow a violation of the cross-domain security model. He said that IE does not properly parse CSS (cascading style sheet) files, and allows the importation of files that are not valid CSS files. The IE flaw thus allows an attacker to retrieve private user data, or execute operations on behalf of the user on remote domains.

According to Gillon the IE bug could be exploited, simply by luring a potential target to visit a malicious Web page. He advised users to disable JavaScript or use a different browser, till such a time as Microsoft releases a patch for the IE flaw.

Meanwhile help has come from un-expected quarters

On December 6, Google spokes-person - Sonya Boralv reportedly said, that they have made an adjustment to the product, to help protect users.

Boralv said that users are not required to take any action to get protected, because the changes have been made at Google's end, to block the remote access attack vector. She did not divulge any details, on the extent of the modification to Google Desktop.

Post the Google announcement, a test of the proof-of-concept page created by Gillon has confirmed that the attack no longer works.

Microsoft has said it might issue a security update or an advisory on the problem

now because of IE bugs other softwares have to change themselfs! i think they should stop making IE on th e first place

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/artic...9588&cat_id=582

[linuxguy 0]

oohh....thats a big statement to make abhay! Especially when billy boi's in town