Google Computers - Hardware Coming to Town

Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine popularity, or
encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote:

Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine
popularity, or encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe
an attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in
one's mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Or several news agencies jumping on a prediction for 2006?

From what I read (quick peek) it's going to be a consumer device, so
whatever it runs (the fanboys are already yelling Linux and drooling, and
telling that it's finally going to happen, the death of Microsoft) doesn't matter
that much IMO.

--
John Perl SEO tools: http://johnbokma.com/perl/
or have them custom made
Experienced (web) developer: http://castleamber.com/

On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 13:19:02 +0000, Roy Schestowitz
<newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote:

Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine popularity, or
encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

The Google Segway approaches!

BB
http://www.crystal-liaison.com/ kruse (AT) crystal-liaison (DOT) com
Home of gifts so shiny!

Roy Schestowitz wrote:

Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine
popularity, or
encourage use of Web services.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story
Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe
an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in
one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Well, the legend has it that Google has always been building their servers
themselves, so hardware expertise is apparently already there, in house.
Add the Google Search Appliance, and you'll see that embedded Linux
expertise is also already there since several years ago. Throw in Linux
cluster distributed computing expertise that has also always been there
from the beginning, and it looks like if anybody can win this market, this
has to be Google that, co-incidentally is loaded with cash right now.

Microsoft, OTOH had never wetted their feet in hardware other than
keyboards (that suck) and mice (that are nice, but I switched to Logitech
anyways) and some obscure multimedia players that never took off.

And, once again: what's up with anti-Google pre-disposition, Roy?

--
Cheers,
Dmitri
See Site Sig Below
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"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote

Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine popularity,
or
encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Walmart? If true, then I wonder how many others had turned down their ideas
before they had to settle for something like Walmart. I don't exactly see
folks rushing to the electronics section of Walmart these days. Locally,
Folks with half a brain would sooner head over to more well known
electronics stores as well as reputable online merchants. But then again, I
CAN see Tigerdirect selling a Google Box.

Let's face it, you can already get a PC for a few hundred.

If there's any validity to this article then methinks Page and cohort are
stretching a tad bit too far.

We've had this discussion before Roy on a few occasions. Microsoft will not
fall asunder. But then again......?

"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote

Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine popularity,
or
encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Mmmmmm, maybe I stand corrected

For anyone interested, here are a couple of pages in which Robert Cringely
of PBS goes over this new technology a bit more in-Depth.

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20051124.html

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20051201.html

__/ [www.1-script.com] on Tuesday 03 January 2006 16:24 \__

Roy Schestowitz wrote:

Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine
popularity, or
encourage use of Web services.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story
Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe
an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in
one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Well, the legend has it that Google has always been building their servers
themselves, so hardware expertise is apparently already there, in house.
Add the Google Search Appliance, and you'll see that embedded Linux
expertise is also already there since several years ago. Throw in Linux
cluster distributed computing expertise that has also always been there
from the beginning, and it looks like if anybody can win this market, this
has to be Google that, co-incidentally is loaded with cash right now.

Yes, supercomputing is an area they dominate. For example, have a look at:

http://labs.google.com/papers/mapreduce.html

Microsoft have recently articulated their plan to dominate large
computational servers as well. They must be unhappy with the fact that the
world's strongest machines (/framework) are related to and run on variants
of UNIX. IBM probably used Big Blue and that Chess commotion as a PR
opportunity, maybe a publicity stunt even.

Microsoft, OTOH had never wetted their feet in hardware other than
keyboards (that suck) and mice (that are nice, but I switched to Logitech
anyways) and some obscure multimedia players that never took off.

Well, the XBox 360 is very well-invested in. It's a complete set of hardware
with decent architecture that could be turned into a desktop PC. Last week
at the cinema, no less than 3 commercials for the XBox 360 were run before
the film got started. No doubt Microsoft take this seriously. Dell and
others are currently making up for the 'hardware gap'. Microsoft's
peripherals are probably from Asian manufacturer with products relabelled
"Microsoft". Same with Dell.

And, once again: what's up with anti-Google pre-disposition, Roy?

You're right. I'll take that back.

Best wishes,

Roy

__/ [WhoTurnedOffTheLights] on Tuesday 03 January 2006 19:18 \__

"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:dpdtld$8kh$1 (AT) godfrey (DOT) mcc.ac.uk...
Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine popularity,
or
encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Walmart? If true, then I wonder how many others had turned down their ideas
before they had to settle for something like Walmart. I don't exactly see
folks rushing to the electronics section of Walmart these days. Locally,
Folks with half a brain would sooner head over to more well known
electronics stores as well as reputable online merchants. But then again, I
CAN see Tigerdirect selling a Google Box.

I think that Google aim for the not-so-IT-savvy crowd. These are the people
who not will invest a decent amount of money in their workstation or even
fully-understand what is being offered.

People who shop for computers at Walmart are more likely to be using Google
Mail and whatever browser gets installed by default. They are more
/obedient/ to the vendor, so Google can make up for the low cost of the
computers. Microsoft have used similar tactics: incorporating MSN/Hotmail to
IE and Outlook (Express). On-line services and the channels to these
services are key to success. Also, cost of a computer can be reduced (a la
Dell) by allowing all kinds of trial versions of AV software and ISP's to be
bound to a pre-installed base.

Let's face it, you can already get a PC for a few hundred.

Got one for GBP 165 recently.

If there's any validity to this article then methinks Page and cohort are
stretching a tad bit too far.

We've had this discussion before Roy on a few occasions. Microsoft will not
fall asunder. But then again......?

What excited me the most about this is availability of alternative choices.
Like Firefox has proven, diversity leads to better awareness and less
susceptibility to lockins. I am sometimes a sufferer of X which only works
on Y, exclusively.


__/ [WhoTurnedOffTheLights] on Tuesday 03 January 2006 21:12 \__

Mmmmmm, maybe I stand corrected

[...]
For anyone interested, here are a couple of pages in which Robert Cringely
of PBS goes over this new technology a bit more in-Depth.

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20051124.html

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20051201.html

Thanks for this!

Roy

On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 06:36:07 +0000, Roy Schestowitz
<newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote:

__/ [WhoTurnedOffTheLights] on Tuesday 03 January 2006 19:18 \__

"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:dpdtld$8kh$1 (AT) godfrey (DOT) mcc.ac.uk...
Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine popularity,
or
encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Walmart? If true, then I wonder how many others had turned down their ideas
before they had to settle for something like Walmart. I don't exactly see
folks rushing to the electronics section of Walmart these days. Locally,
Folks with half a brain would sooner head over to more well known
electronics stores as well as reputable online merchants. But then again, I
CAN see Tigerdirect selling a Google Box.


I think that Google aim for the not-so-IT-savvy crowd.

I'll let you know :-(

BB


http://www.crystal-liaison.com/ kruse (AT) crystal-liaison (DOT) com
Home of gifts so shiny!

__/ [Big Bill] on Wednesday 04 January 2006 11:23 \__

On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 06:36:07 +0000, Roy Schestowitz
newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote:

__/ [WhoTurnedOffTheLights] on Tuesday 03 January 2006 19:18 \__

"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups (AT) schestowitz (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:dpdtld$8kh$1 (AT) godfrey (DOT) mcc.ac.uk...
Apparently you can sell computers to boost your search engine
popularity, or
encourage use of Web services.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,3503327.story

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe
an attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in
one's mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

Walmart? If true, then I wonder how many others had turned down their
ideas before they had to settle for something like Walmart. I don't
exactly see folks rushing to the electronics section of Walmart these
days. Locally, Folks with half a brain would sooner head over to more
well known electronics stores as well as reputable online merchants. But
then again, I CAN see Tigerdirect selling a Google Box.


I think that Google aim for the not-so-IT-savvy crowd.

I'll let you know :-(

This can easily be misinterpreted when snipped out of context *smile*. What I
meant to say was that Google's target audience for the 'Walmart Google PC'
should be those who seek inexpensive solutions. Those whose career depends
on their workstation are less likely to opt for such a computer unless
Google release a high-end box in tandem.

I am guessing that most of Google's boxes 00those that collect dust in large
datacentre -- are built to be cheap, which in turns enables Google to buy
more (thereby accumulating more storage, do more crawling, etc.). No
software licences are needed either. I would not be surprised if datacentres
(not only Google's) got accommodated with some otherwise 'junk yard 486'
PC's. At least they serve someone.

Cost-effective computing at Google pays off, albeit it serves a different
purpose year. It's affordability for customers and scalability for Google.


__/ [Big Bill] on Tuesday 03 January 2006 15:37 \__

[SNIP]

Maybe it's just an attempt to gnaw at the competitor's share and maybe an
attempt to invade a new sector for good. It stirs many thoughts in one's
mind. Google Mini, Google O/S, Java Runtime Environment...

The Google Segway approaches!

*LOL*


I have always thought they preferred scooters and bouncy balls in the
hallway. There are reasons why the Googleplex doors are kept locked.