Google vs. Microsoft

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Google Gets Ready to Rumble with Microsoft." The article states, "At Sun Microsystems, where he was chief technology officer, Mr. (Eric) Schmidt (currently CEO of Google) looked on as Scott G. McNealy, the company’s chairman, railed against Microsoft and its leaders, Steven A. Ballmer and Bill Gates, as 'Ballmer and Butthead.' During a four-year stint as chief executive of Novell, Mr. Schmidt routinely opined that it was folly for any Microsoft rival to 'moon the giant,' as he put it; all that would do, he argued, was incite Microsoft’s wrath." But now,the article reports, "The growing confrontation between Google and Microsoft promises to be an epic business battle. It is likely to shape the prosperity and progress of both companies, and also inform how consumers and corporations work, shop, communicate and go about their digital lives. Google sees all of this happening on remote servers in faraway data centers, accessible over the Web by an array of wired and wireless devices — a setup known as cloud computing. Microsoft sees a Web future as well, but one whose center of gravity remains firmly tethered to its desktop PC software. Therein lies the conflict."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Young Children

• Ask your students to identify their favorite on-line game. Do they ever buy games on CDs at stores? If so, what games have they bought? Why would students want to purchase games if there are games available on-line for free? What games do students think are better, free games or games that are on CDs? Encourage them to explain their thoughts.
  
• Do students think that it's important to review their work before giving it to the teacher? Why/why not? Would it be smart to keep on reviewing a small homework assignment for a week (or a month) before giving it to the teacher? Why/why not?
  
• Do students enjoy playing games against one another? Why/why not? Do students think that they ever try harder when they are trying to beat somebody else in a game? Why/why not? If somebody loses in a game does it mean that the winner is either smarter or better? Why/why not?
  
• If students could develop a computer or a robot that could do one thing for them what would the computer or robot do? Why?
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Outflank; Formidable; "Personal Productivity"; and, "To Google".
  
• In 10 years do students think that people will access software programs on their own computer or in the ubiquitous Internet cloud? Challenge students to support their opinions logically. Do students think it is fair to ask how people will access programs in 100 years? Why/why not?
  
• Ask students to imagine that worked on Microsoft's executive team. What might they do in an effort to ensure that people to do turn away from Microsoft's locally based software in favor of using software located on Google's Internet cloud? Why do they think that this strategy might work? Do students think that it's necessary for Microsoft's survival that people continue to load software onto their own computers? Why/why not?
  
• Why do students think that the metaphor "cloud" has been used to describe the location of Google's software programs? Can students think of more effective, or simply different metaphors?