Google goes after small businesses

Somehow I'm really happy that Google starts charging for some premium services.

I got mine while it was free (YAY!) and convinced two other companies to give it a try. While I was already satisfied with what I'm getting from Linux, Firefox and Open Office, this is icing on the cake as far as not having to keep frequently used docs on every machine, backed-up etc.

Yes, Microsoft will have to match this in some way, possibly a more Office-like implementation at a similar starting price. Next step for Google though might be to offer this whole service in a pizza box with backup to their servers built-in.

The next question is whether Microsoft will open up their competing product to non-Windows systems. Will they claim their developers are too shabby to be able to figure this out? The alternative is almost as embarrassing, which is that developers would like to, but Ballmer won't let them.

In the end, it will be the developers instincts that are right. (Isn't it always?)

is Techme TEchme or Google me? has anyone seen the Indian Web 2.0 Hyper Agreegated site!

www.IndyChai.com

I think its awesome!

the problem with this is that people don't want to rent software. chalk it up to western society's individualistic spirit, but we would always rather be homeowners than renters - even if the latter is more economical than the former.

in the same sociopolitical spirit, we won't want to rent services from google. we'd much rather buy them, and have the option to work/save to both our personal computers and the google servers.

this is why microsoft won't be quaking in their boots quite yet... and open source office substitutes will continue to rise in popularity...

yes, netflix, napster, and other technologies have enjoyed a healthy profit from renting services. but this is something that people feel like they need to own, i feel, and i'm skeptical that the current business model is going to achieve immediate success (especially given the preexisting prevalence of office and office-clones).

@7 You don't own software today when you "buy" it. Read your license agreement. You only buy the right to use it. When the company decides to no longer support that copy you have a right to use, then you are obsolete. Then what? With this model you aren't left to figure out what is supported and what isn't.

I bet that they will offer the apps on this box some day: http://www.google.com/enterprise/mini/index.html ... then businesses wont have to worry about having their docs sitting outside of their firewall.