Will MSN force Google to make it's own browser?

[SensoVision]

just come across article which have something in it... since all of us probably heard rumors that new Windows Longhorn will have integrated search feature which will lead enormous amounts of traffic to it's MSN search engines... Microsoft recently seems to be really interested in search industry so I guess they will integrate MSN search in new OS, and if so Google have a bit troubles IMHO as he would loose a lot of users... so making it's own browser could be a good solution in this situation... although it's not easy to create good browser which would become popular so I guess they could join forces with some well known browser like Netscape or Mozilla and push their services together...
It was already done with AllTheWeb and Opera on some level... although I'm not sure if Yahoo will keep this partnership and develop in any way...
so what do you think about this all?

By the way here is the article I've mentioned above:

Microsoft's search entry could restart browser war
Chris Dillabough

The launch of a Microsoft search engine will take the battle for supremacy in the most vibrant sector in digital advertising away from the Web and onto users' desktops, say industry players writing for next week's NMA/Advertising.

Sector-watchers agree that MSN's plan to ditch the partnership approach it has taken to search marketing, and to launch its own product, could provoke search giant Google to hit back by launching its own Web browser, reigniting the browser wars.

Since Yahoo! bought Overture earlier this year, the market has been shaping up for a three-way struggle between Yahoo!/Overture, Google and MSN.

Andrew Goodman, founder of search marketing Web site Traffick.com, said, 'MSN has advantages that other providers don't. It controls that browser, the operating system and office software. Search can be integrated to form a coherent package.

'I foresee the launch of a Google browser within two years. Controlling the browser may be Google's only defence,' he added.

At search marketing firm Decide Interactive, strategy director and co-founder Paul McCarney said a key question was whether Microsoft could convince users to accept search tools as part of its operating system and applications.

Another factor, according to McCarney, is whether Google can take the search application to the desktop.

Editor of Searchenginewatch.com, Danny Sullivan, said MSN would need to produce a 'better search' to beat Google and that it was a 'smart company with lots of money'.

But he added, 'Against Microsoft is the incredible lead both Google and Yahoo! have.'

http://www.newmediazero.com/lo-fi/story.asp?id=244808

[Hope]

To be honest, if M$ intergrates search with the OS, they will be facing another lawsuit by the US Feds. That would put every search engine out of business, just like Internet Explorer being intergrated into the OS put Netscape out of business. There are too many search engines out there that would lose everything.

If M$ actaully does this, then there is no way to make up for the loss. Most people do not even know that Netscape is still available. They dont' know that Opera even exists. Even less know what Mozilla is. This is the same thing that that will happen to search engines.

Right now people know Google because so many ISPs have them as their default search. If search is right there for everyone and they dont have to think or even look for it, then there is no hope for google. AOL is a prime example.

We all know what AOL users are like. I am sorry to say MSN users are the same. Most PC users don't have a clue what the internet has and doesn't have, so there isnt much hope. The education levels are not there to support other search engines if M$ decides to intergrate search with the OS.

[Dug]

Microsoft make MSN the default search portal of IE and Windows anyway. People know Google and therefore actively go there to search for things. Microsoft can't prevent users from typing in 'www.google.com' into the address bar of their browser. If you use the 'search' function on the start menu in windows and select the '...on the internet' option it will do an MSN search for you. The integration of search into the Longhorn desktop is nothing big or dangerous.
Unless MSN is significantly improved people will not abandon their current search habits. Microsoft are developing their own search index (we have seen MSNBOT 0.11 visiting our sites) but it will have to be good to pull people away from Google and Yahoo.

The only reason Google became popular in the first place is that it bacame popular with geeks looking for technical stuff online. Therefore Tech Support guys in large companies set it up as the default search option on the PCs they were setting up for their staff. Once it became embedded into the search habits of the masses its foothold became secure.

If MSN Search doesn't live up to the standards of quality that people have come to expect from a search engine, then it will suffer.

Dug

[Hope]

Microsoft make MSN the default search portal of IE and Windows anyway. People know Google and therefore actively go there to search for things. Microsoft can't prevent users from typing in 'www.google.com' into the address bar of their browser.

And there is nothing stopping people from downloading Netscape either, but they don't. Why? Because they dont HAVE to. People are lazy. Most people on the Internet are too stupid to know what they need to do or how to get what they want.

Hell, the stupidity level is so bad, many people don't have a clue how to use a browser. They put web addresses into search engines because they don't know any better. You are dealing with people who have never been educated on how this stuff works.

Lets use AOL users for an example. AOL keeps them so damned ignorant on purpose. Why? to keep them INSIDE the AOL intranet. a majority of AOL users do not know what a browser is. A majority of AOL users don't know they don't have to use a search engine to find a website.

If M$ actually puts their search engine into their OS, it will ruin a ton of search companies and there is nothing that can change that.

[Dug]

And there is nothing stopping people from downloading Netscape either, but they don't. Why? Because they dont HAVE to. People are lazy. Most people on the Internet are too stupid to know what they need to do or how to get what they want.

Netscape doesn't offer much that IE doesn't, in fact IE is better supported on the internet because no one uses W3C standards anymore, they make sites IE compliant instead. Thus Netscape browsers tend to offer a lower quality of online experience (through no fault of their own). This is why people don't go and get it. I consider myself pretty clued in on matters of the internet but I mostly use IE, I have Mozilla Firebird/Firefox on my machine but still do most of my browsing in IE (I wheel out Moz for special occasions where more functionality is needed) because IE does the job perfectly well 95% of the time.
There is no incentive for people to move away from IE.

I don't argue that the stupid will stay where they are directed to by inertia/ignorance, but they are the people who are already hooked into MSN or AOL. Who cares about them, AOL search will be no great loss to the internet if their users can't find a way to escape MSN. Most people that use the lesser-known search engines are already savvy enough to move away from these portals onto something that offers a better quality service.

People are becoming more and more aware of the traps and pitfalls of the internet. The proliferation of pop-up blockers and scum-ware removers shows this. There is a demand for this stuff because people are becoming aware of the problem (or rather becoming aware that there is a solution to the problem). Online enlightenment won't happen over night, it is a slow and excruciating process, but people are being dragged into awareness about these issues. Don't worry about the stupid people, they are already lost to the little search engines and the sophisticated underbelly of the internet; nothing short of one-on-one tutoring will get them out of their rut and nothing MSN does will make much difference to them (they will just become online slaves to different masters).

Be happy. Live free.
Dug

[SensoVision]

And there is nothing stopping people from downloading Netscape either, but they don't. Why? Because they dont HAVE to. People are lazy. Most people on the Internet are too stupid to know what they need to do or how to get what they want.

this exactly what I wish to say... many people don't even know what they are missingusing default IE instead of much more stable Mozilla(personally Mozilla saved me a lot of my nerves, which previously was was by IE)... Longhorn is coming soon and looking on the current MSN actions I bet that they surely make it as a default browser and integrate in different M$ programs...

[Hope]

Netscape doesn't offer much that IE doesn't, in fact IE is better supported on the internet because no one uses W3C standards anymore, they make sites IE compliant instead. Thus Netscape browsers tend to offer a lower quality of online experience (through no fault of their own).

This is because 95% of user are on IE. IE has dominated the market because M$ has shut out every other browser.

People are becoming more and more aware of the traps and pitfalls of the internet.

When was the last time you saw a new MLM? Hell, how many people do you hear complaining they got scammed by someone online? Lets look at the Paypal Scam (earthlink and ebay got hit with the same scams). Oh, and if people are so f**king smart now a days, how come I get over 40 virus a day sent to my yahoo mail account? 


I don't mean to sound so synical, but I guess I really am that synical. I find it hard to believe that in a company of less than 25 people can have 4 computers infected with a virus. This company has been told 4 times in the last 60 days to NOT open various attachments. Virus warnings have been sent out. BTW, these are people who work in an Internet Marketing company. They are not stupid people, or at least I thought they were not. I am not so sure anymore.

[Allin1Joe]

I actually don't see them being able to shut out Google as well as they did Netscape.  Google is EXTREMELY popular and is VERY well known.  Even if MS integrated search engine capability into the OS, how many would switch from typing in www.google.com ?  I know I won't, and I'm willing to bet a lot of others wouldn't either.  It doesn't cost us anything to use Google so I don't see it being hurt very badly by this.  However, I'd LOVE to see Google release a browser

[SensoVision]

I actually don't see them being able to shut out Google as well as they did Netscape.  Google is EXTREMELY popular and is VERY well known. 

yes and now, it's surely known by people who spend life on the web but I could name you appox. ten folks who heard about Google last or this year, and they was online for some time... but use AltaVista(because it's was what they know) or other search engine...

[Andy]

I guess the people with the most power are the scientists who set up the web in the first place, or rather their offsprings (mutations?). Now they are working on the more secure version of the web, maybe it's just a matter of time until one of them flicks the switch to turn off MSN, Yahoo etc and over to the new military-strength system they came up with. Especially in these days of national insecurity. A bit like pulling the plug on your dial-up modem and plugging in to the broadband access point. Hopefully, this will be a seamless transition for ordinary, honest web colonists like ourselves.

[dmcgill]

With all the money flooding into Google's pockets after going public, I am sure they are capable of anything.  Sure they will have to develop their own browser and what better way to keep on top of the search engine dogpile.  I dislike the thought or fact the IE is the most used browser today and the marketing that was used to get there should not have surprised anyone.  Just look how he got DOS!  The fact is though, MS is the largest out there and IE is used by the vast majority.  I wish it were different but it isn't

[Dug]

I don't hold any love for Microsoft, but Netscape played a big part in the downfall of their browser; they became complacent. Netscape became stale and under-developed. I admit that MS tactics in bundling IE with windows played a big part but Netscape isn't the shining, innocent victim in this. Netscape browsers (at the time of their demise) were clunky and primitive.

No company is going to beat Microsoft. The thing that will defeat MS is its users. When the people start to reject their offerings through educated choice, then the giat will fall. All too often I hear people whinging and complaining about MS business tactics and not offering any reasonable alternative. If there was as much effort put into telling people about the alternatives and how they are often free and better, then there would be a very different virtual topology in the world.


Another thing (that I might have said already). Microsoft have already integrated search onto the windows desktop. It started with windows 98. This has not stopped people from bookmarking Google or learning to type www.google.com into the correct box.
If you take away people's choice they become unhappy and unlike dictatorial states, they have no secret police to silence the voice of opposition. To mangle a Star-Wars quote; The more you tighten your grip, the more users slip through your fingers. Giants have fallen before, just look at IBM; once a logo that could be found on every desktop PC in the world, they faded into practical obscurity and took years to claw back any semblage of a market share in anything computer related. They were the the wintel of the day, they made the processors and the operating system. Now where are they? They make a few hard disks.

Google are going to run into problems if they are not careful. After their IPO they will have share-holders to please. They may find that they have to abandon some of their much vaunted morals in favour of making money.

Ultimately MSN Search will be good for the search engine market. At the moment there is little competion in the 'big fish pond'. More competition will lead to better search algorithms and therefore results. There is nothing like a stale market to foster complacence.

Be happy
Dug

[SensoVision]

No company is going to beat Microsoft. The thing that will defeat MS is its users. When the people start to reject their offerings through educated choice, then the giat will fall. All too often I hear people whinging and complaining about MS business tactics and not offering any reasonable alternative. If there was as much effort put into telling people about the alternatives and how they are often free and better, then there would be a very different virtual topology in the world.

there is so much truth in these words! nothing to take and nothing to add to this!(at least I can't add anything )