Bill Gates' Latest Plan To Steal Google Users: Bribe 'Em
from the profit-sharing,-Microsoft-style dept
Remember all those urban legends about Bill Gates paying you money to forward an email? Well, perhaps it's not so crazy after all. John Battelle is pointing to a story that suggests Bill Gates is thinking about sharing advertising revenue from MSN search with users, as a way to lure them away from Google. This isn't a new idea, really. Random startups have tried this over the years, and it was the original basis for the startup iWon.com, which is now owned by IAC (as part of AskJeeves). Hell, there was a (very brief) period of time when Google offered to pay people for every search that was done via a search box you put on your own website -- a program that never really went very far. However, all of these "we'll pay you to do x" business models always sound... bubbly. They tend to attract scammers of all kinds, rather than simply encouraging people to use your product because it helps solve a need. Still, what would be more interesting is finding out how certain anti-trust regulators feel about that kind of move. While Microsoft should be able to do it if they want, it wouldn't be surprising to see some companies cry foul, and claim that Microsoft is abusing their monopoly position in doing this (should they ever actually go down that path).
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OK, I'm lost
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Not likely
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I'm Lost
I think its the object of paying people to use your more popular software in an attempt to squeeze someone else out.
Bad enough that you are a monopoly, now they might pay people.
Kinda like walmart. They reduce prices (in effect paying people with savings) until no one else can compete, the competition (local mom & pop stores) go tits up, then walmart raises the prices higher than the original mom & pop's.
Same thing here, not really ethical. Puts money in peoples pockets, for the shortterm. then what?
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Re: OK, I'm lost
I love how he makes google appear like a greedy dirty company, but yet hes made trillions off windows. Why not split some profit with the windows users since you're using that logic? Didn't think so.
I'll stay with my google.
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Re: OK, I'm lost
It also smacks of a stupid idea..
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Re: OK, I'm lost
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Landslide
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Google Vs Gates
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Re: Landslide
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Re: Landslide
Google has done nothing but break the standards of the internet. They are the ones who made the high storage inboxes. Microsoft only followed after to compete. All the things google has done, microsoft has only attempted to compete by trying to match up with their new standards.
Microsoft is still making the same mistakes they've been making for years. They're thinking about domination instead of making a good product and innovation.
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Re: I'm Lost
Look, the focus will be on the fact that Microsoft is using their large monetary resivoirs to subsidize and artificially compete with other search engines. Would Google see an impact? probably not, they won't lose much of their customer base (well, what they have left after pissing off customers on their own)
But, that wouldn't stop Google/Yahoo from suing, because c'mon it's M$, that's what you do with them. And it would probably knock out a few fourth rate search engines, but then again, they ARE fourth rate, so who cares, compete or die.
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Re: Not likely
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Re: Not likely
No, you missed the point. Others would complain that Microsoft was leveraging their dominant position in one market (operating systems) to completely undercut another market (search) in a way that no one else could.
I think that Microsoft has every right to make this move (even if I question the business sense of it), but I'd bet that others would bring up the anti-trust issue very quickly.
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Re: I'm Lost
However, when there was actually a court case put before a judge to decide this, they were ruled a monopoly. I sort of think that trumps your 6th grade social studies understanding.
It's a monopoly on desktop PC operating systems, not on search. It's perfectly fine for them to compete with MSN search, but if they do things like integrate it into the standard windows desktop, they're playing with fire. Which they're not at all afraid to do, so there you go.
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MS is NOT a monopoly
About Walmart: that is not a monopoly either. As soon as Walmart were to raise prices (after "wiping out the Mom & Pops"), there would be competitors WAITING IN LINE to undercut Walmart. And watch out: if hilary clinton is elected predident...she will do everything in her power to bring down Walmart, and the markets in general will follow (as the techs did after bill clinton attempeted to destroy MS).
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Re: MS is NOT a monopoly
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Re: OK, I'm lost
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paid search
I already use Blingo, same results as Google but you win cash prizes.
http://www.blingo.com/
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Re: OK, I'm lost
Yeah, Bill's in the same boat as Rockefeller. Both had a monopoly situation that made them billions and both turned into philanthropists in middle age in order to give some of it back. I, for one, don't like the idea that I paid twice as much as Windows was worth over the five versions I've purchased so far, just so Bill can redirect the extra cash I spent to some charities he likes to support. I would much rather the money have stayed in my pocket in the first place.
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Re: OK, I'm lost
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microsoft sux
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Re: MS is NOT a monopoly
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Re: "Rich is an idiot"
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Re: OK, I'm lost
Mac for ever
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I just dont care
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That too is a falacy
Since your arguments are not truth, but conjecture and opinion, your philosiphising falls flat.
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Re: MS is NOT a monopoly
I can't believe Microsoft is paying that aol spyware infested realplayer maker realnetworks over a billion. Real player is such a proprietary piece of crap.
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Re: OK, I'm lost
"By their acts ye shall know them."
"They draw close to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
You also have to notice that Stinky Balmer doesn't come close to being as nice as Gates. I guess he thinks that one guy at the top making the appearance of good-hearted generosity is enough for any company. His job is to throw chairs and rant about how he's going to put thousands of people out of jobs. Go, Stinky!
Go ahead and say I know nothing of their real intentions. I'll give you partial credit for that. But, you have to give me more credit for the trail of actions and consequences that are publically know about these individuals.
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Re: OK, I'm lost
He's a hacker, a scum bag and everything that no decent human being would want to be.
I'm just surprised that no one has blown him away, yet, for all his wrong-doings. However, The DOJ, the EU and recently, the Korean government have taken away some of his money that he obtained through unethical business practices.
He's also lost Billions if not more, from everybody who has refused to pay for his grabage, bug-infested, lame excuse for software.
May Bill Gates rot in hell, where he belongs!!
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MS
It's easy to say, "ms worked hard and therefore are just reaping those rewards." It's not quite that simple. What about smaller companies that are attempting to break into the market? Microsoft will simply imitate it and put it for free in their OS. How will you retain your business then?
Anyways, back to this. I have little respect for Bill. Even with his PR charity donations. Bill's quote it quite stupid as others have pointed out. Bill's quote makes it seem as though Google has no respect for their users. Quite the opposite. I never felt this type of scheme were successful for either client nor business. But hey, do whatever you can do to kill the competitors right Bill?
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Re: OK, I'm lost
Bill Gates has not given a billion to charities. The definition of given or give is "Bestowed as a gift" or " To make a present of". Yes, he may "give" money in your eye's but in my eye's when you give you ask for nothing in return. I give to charities all the time. O'l Bill cuts a check for 10 mil to some hospital then turns around and uses it as a tax write-off getting a large portion of it back in a way. Im so tired of hearing about how famous people give to charities. When they start doing it to give something back or for a good cause without writing it off, then they will have my respect.
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Re: OK, I'm lost
The result of this is the natural backlash which includes Open Source and Google which succeeded simply because it was "good". Sadly, it's quality has also declined and it's showing signs that it could follow in the direction of M$.
I remain thankful that, for some unknown reason, Gates has not tried to kill off Adobe and/or Macromedia. These exemplary (compared to M$) companies continue to succeed by innovating, improving, serving the customers who support them, and having the amazing policy of not punishing honest users because there really are some pirates out there. This year, I was happy to buy Studio 8 and Creative Suite 2 for more $ than I've ever given M$. M$ can collect their funds for charity from some other sucker. I won't give them another ten cents if I can avoid it. For me, Time Magazine just devalued the "#$%*! of the Year" award.
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Re: I'm Lost
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MSN
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eas tag system hard tags soft label accessories an
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