Comments on: The hegemony of Google http://polizeros.com/2007/05/07/the-hegemony-of-google/ Musings on politics: anti-war, global warming, peak oil and otherwise Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:00:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: DJ http://polizeros.com/2007/05/07/the-hegemony-of-google/#comment-135088 DJ Mon, 07 May 2007 19:26:43 +0000 http://polizeros.com/2007/05/07/the-hegemony-of-google/#comment-135088 An <a href="http://www.yahoo.com/s/574891" rel="nofollow">AP article</a> on how people use technology offers some interesting insights: many people are not as open to technological innovation. This includes some who used to be. I'm one of these "lackluster veterans." There was a time when I couldn't wait to learn the newest software. Now I get annoyed when Microsoft updates Office, increasing its size and clumsiness while offering in exchange only features I can't imgine using. Do I do things online I didn't do ten years ago? Yes: I have a blog and I read (and comment on) blogs. But for the most part, by activities haven't changed, and my software doesn't need to change either. Call me reactionary... but apparently I'm not alone. An AP article on how people use technology offers some interesting insights: many people are not as open to technological innovation. This includes some who used to be.

I’m one of these “lackluster veterans.” There was a time when I couldn’t wait to learn the newest software. Now I get annoyed when Microsoft updates Office, increasing its size and clumsiness while offering in exchange only features I can’t imgine using. Do I do things online I didn’t do ten years ago? Yes: I have a blog and I read (and comment on) blogs. But for the most part, by activities haven’t changed, and my software doesn’t need to change either. Call me reactionary… but apparently I’m not alone.

]]> By: Joe Hartley http://polizeros.com/2007/05/07/the-hegemony-of-google/#comment-135051 Joe Hartley Mon, 07 May 2007 14:19:59 +0000 http://polizeros.com/2007/05/07/the-hegemony-of-google/#comment-135051 It's interesting to see a single company with a single model become dominant in a subsector while continuign to innovate without apparent competition. I suspect the explanation is that there IS competition, both from Yahoo in the online sector, and from Microsoft elsewhere. It will be instructive to see what happens if Google continues its dominance and more and more people move on-line. I've been following the Microsoft Office Suite for perhaps 15 years, and am repeatedly astonished (well, dismayed is probably a better word) that there has been no significant development of the software since the early 1990's. Not to say that Microsoft hasn't put in googles of dollars, but the changes are mainly cosmetic and not functional. If Word(im)Perfect had been better managed, one would have hoped they would have been better able to compete against interesting but the seriously-flawed products of Microsoft. I fear that Google may repeat the Microsoft Office experience if it does not receive healthy competition from others, FOG or no FOG. It’s interesting to see a single company with a single model become dominant in a subsector while continuign to innovate without apparent competition. I suspect the explanation is that there IS competition, both from Yahoo in the online sector, and from Microsoft elsewhere. It will be instructive to see what happens if Google continues its dominance and more and more people move on-line.

I’ve been following the Microsoft Office Suite for perhaps 15 years, and am repeatedly astonished (well, dismayed is probably a better word) that there has been no significant development of the software since the early 1990’s. Not to say that Microsoft hasn’t put in googles of dollars, but the changes are mainly cosmetic and not functional. If Word(im)Perfect had been better managed, one would have hoped they would have been better able to compete against interesting but the seriously-flawed products of Microsoft. I fear that Google may repeat the Microsoft Office experience if it does not receive healthy competition from others, FOG or no FOG.

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