[RichieB]

I just read this article about how Microsoft is having to provide links to Google desktop search in their Start menu in Vista. This is to stop them from getting sued with yet another anti-trust action suit. The article claims that the built-in Microsoft desktop search is causing problems with third-party destkop search tools simply by "remaining functional". GASP! TWO tools to index the HDD? How absolutely horrible!

I don't quite understand this... I am in this instance, pulling for Microsoft since a desktop search is just an OS feature and not an application like IE. One can hardly "blame" Microsoft for wishing to add features to their new OS, otherwise, why release a new version at all!?

Is Google going to set its sights on Apple Spotlight next?

[PB PM]

Maybe, but Spotlight has been around for a while, might be hard for them to go after it now, two years after it has been released.

[kscherer]

Google's CEO is an Apple board member. To sue them over just about anything could result in a conflict-of-interest issue with Apple and cause lots of other problems.

Also, Apple's Spotlight does not cause Google's search thing to flake out, at least that I know of.

[RichieB]

Originally Posted by kscherer Google's CEO is an Apple board member

Totally forgot about that one!

[kieran]

Originally Posted by kscherer Google's CEO is an Apple board member. To sue them over just about anything could result in a conflict-of-interest issue with Apple and cause lots of other problems. Also, Apple's Spotlight does not cause Google's search thing to flake out, at least that I know of.

The problem that Google had is the fact that Vista causes problems with Google's own search program. If there weren't any problems, there probably wouldn't have been a lawsuit in the first place.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by kieran23kk The problem that Google had is the fact that Vista causes problems with Google's own search program. If there weren't any problems, there probably wouldn't have been a lawsuit in the first place.

Probably not. It would appear that whatever Microsoft did was intentional. Either that or it's just another Vista "oops, I farted again!"

[curiousuburb]

Microsoft has a looooong history of intentionally crippling competing tools.

QT is a classic case. At one point in the 90s, Microsoft released a patch which broke QT in order to force nudge users to use WMP, despite the fact that QT had superior codecs and quality at the time.

Microsoft has also been the subject of investigations for intentionally disadvantaging competing developers by withholding code hooks (from Netscape/Sun/Mozilla) despite a contract to share them.

Could it be... a pattern?

[chucker]

Originally Posted by RichieB Is Google going to set its sights on Apple Spotlight next?

Apple doesn't have a dominating market position (that would be Microsoft), so Google doesn't have any antitrust case against them. Also, as has been pointed out, Apple and Google are more or less allies.