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Google: Tough love for Microsoft

"Because the Web is Google's platform, we are interested in improving it as much as we can," so intones Bret Taylor, the evangelist for Google's strategic developer initiatives.Google "owns" the Web experience, but to"improve" it, Google must go through the Microsoft-owned desktop, as I analyze in Google’s love hate relationship with the desktop.
Written by Donna Bogatin, Contributor

"Because the Web is Google's platform, we are interested in improving it as much as we can," so intones Bret Taylor, the evangelist for Google's strategic developer initiatives.

Google "owns" the Web experience, but to"improve" it, Google must go through the Microsoft-owned desktop, as I analyze in Google’s love hate relationship with the desktop.

Does it gall CEO Schmidt to have to "Microsoft-enable" Google products? OR, does he get personal satisfaction in "using" Microsoft to achieve his Microsoft domination end-game.

SEE  Google trumps Microsoft IE7 in search war?

Schmidt makes sure Google misses no opportunity to point out the supremacy of the Google cloud, over the Microsoft desktop. Given that the typical Google user uses Microsoft to reach Google, however, Schmidt must "improve" the Microsoft experience, for the good of Google.

Take desktop security, for instance. I have been breaking Google news on that front and have the real deal on Google's latest initiatives. 

SEE Google: Beware virtualization, GreenBorder NO security panacea and Google: Practice safe browsing! and Google blasts Web bots: PC big culprit in drive by downloads.

As I underscore, it is telling that Google paints the PC as the weakest link in Web security. Google to the desktop rescue, however.

But, why?

As the number one search engine is quick to proudly note, Google is often used by people as the “gateway to the Internet.” Google therefore has a $150 billion market cap vested interest in:

1) A "harmless" Internet gateway, 2) An infection free billions of Web pages that it provides the gateway to, 3) Deflecting security risk responsibility to the (Microsoft) PC.

If Microsoft will not clean up its own house, Google will do it for them!

But can the mighty Google really make "safe browsing" a given AND clean up the desktop, once and for all?

In Google: Beware virtualization, GreenBorder NO security panacea I dissect what is really behind Google's recent absorption of the desktop security play.

Contrary to popular perception, Google does not envisage GreenBorder's virtualization solution as a magic bullet, the core missing piece of technology in the malware battle. Google actually warns against counting on such an implementation to provide an impentetrable desktop barrier.

Google underscores that it is naive to assume such turnkey security power and emphasizes:

Virtualization is NO security panacea, treat virtual machines as services that can be compromised.

Google is not to be deterred, of course. Stay tuned for Google's next move!

SEE: Google acquisition game: GreenBorder the next Dodgeball?

ALSO: Google vs. Microsoft Office: Game time Google Gears: NOT ready for prime time

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