Have we escaped Microsoft's arms only to fall into Google's?

A minor landmark in the world of technology occurred just before Christmas. Well, actually it’s a legal issue mostly. Microsoft has agreed not to bundle Internet Explorer with its Windows operating system. Not exactly eye-popping news for most, but for some it marks the end of Microsoft using its market monopoly position to influence user choices. Today, Internet Explorer – tomorrow Microsoft Word. Or, maybe not.

The scenario for the consumer is that new PCs will include a browser of the manufacturer’s choice. Or possibly, depending on how PC manufacturers play it, a list of browsers from which the user can choose. That doesn’t stop Microsoft, or anyone else, making friendly suggestions about which browser manufacturers install, or the choices they leave on the machine. But would that in itself breach antitrust regulations? Don’t ask me, I’m only the IT guy, but I reckon it does still leave the door open for further shenanigans.

Ideally, for the other browser manufacturers, a new PC would have a list of browsers and the user would decide at the time of setting up the PC. But then you have the extra time it takes to set up the machine, and the agony of choice, when you were least expecting it. Maybe the PC manufacturers could perfect a soft-touch screen that you can stick pins in to help you choose (you could also stick them in your eyes if it all got too much).

One would assume that this is a little bit of bad news for Microsoft’s lawyers, now twiddling their thumbs and looking elsewhere for work, but no doubt there will be opportunities in the future for rivals to litigate against the Redmond giant. Looking a bit further forward, there looms the possibility of another player taking up Microsoft’s monopoly mantle, and maybe as a result straying into the same legal territory. Google has released its own operating system, which is to run on netbooks – the tiny devices that look like shrunken laptops. This is designed to compete against the Microsoft Windows variant that netbooks mostly use at present (there are a few Linux variations out there as well). As Google has already released its suite of (browser-based) office applications, it looks like it is encroaching on Microsoft’s turf inch by inch.

For me, the best bit of this is that the only internet browser that will run on Google’s operating system is its own product (Google Chrome). Isn’t that the sort of Microsoft behaviour everyone has been complaining about for the past few years? Personally, I find it quite funny. Not only is Google attempting to steal Microsoft’s market, it also appear to be stealing its marketing techniques.

The reaction of the alternative browser companies has been, rather predictably, that more choice will lead to better browsers being released. I’m not that convinced. More choice means buyers having to work out which browser is best, which in turn may lead to browser companies loading them with trinkets to generate more downloads.

If you extend Google’s current form, how long before you are buying your Google netbook device with instant access to all its free browser-based software products, using its in situ browser? Nothing to stop it doing this with PCs and laptops as well.

Doesn’t sound too bad, until we all end up buying them and wind up in Google’s pocket. I never much liked being in Microsoft’s pocket, so I’m not sure I want to be in any one else’s. Bah humbug. I’m off to write my own browser software.