Google Complains About Vista Desktop Search
June 12, 2007 | by Geoff Duncan
Reports have Google filing complaints that Vista's Desktop Search is anticompetitive and violates Microsoft's antitrust settlement.
Reports in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times indicate that Google has filed formal complaints with the Department of Justice and several states' attorneys general alleging that Vista Desktop Search violates Microsoft's existing antitrust settlement, limits consumer choices, and is yet another example of Microsoft leveraging its operating systems monopoly to engage in anticompetitive behavior.
At dispute is Vista Desktop Search, which offers system-wide integrated search capabilities which can not only locate files and documents by name, but also peer inside them to match specific terms and queries. Google, of course, makes a competing product, Google Desktop, but alleges that Microsoft has engineered its own search capability in such a way that it is difficult to impossible for a third party search tool to replace the default search capability. As a result, users who install products like Google Desktop will find their machines reduced to a crawl as both software applications attempt to comprehensively index users' data.
According to the Wall Street Journal Microsoft's general counsel Brad Smith has indicated the company is willing to address Google's concern, but that the area of desktop search was never included in the scope of the company's antitrust settlement. Desktop search capabilities were among the new features in Windows Vista reviewed by antitrust officials during Vista's development.
Nonetheless, the paper reports states are considering opening their own investigations, and Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of Washington's Federal District Court will hear Google's complains at a hearing later this month. Kollar-Kotelly oversees the administration and enforcement of Microsoft's antitrust settlement.
Post Your Comment...Comments
HighTechGeek on Jun 12th, 2007 at 9:18 PM:
@Robert Andrade,
I think you're missing the point, Robert. The article states "that it is difficult to impossible for a third party search tool to replace the default search capability." This means that when you ran Google search on your machine, Vista Search was also running, causing your resources to be "hogged". If Vista Search cannot be disabled or removed, then Google's product could never be used on a Vista machine. Microsoft is effectively shutting out any competition. Microsoft should add the ability to use a Non-Microsoft local search tool, just like they do now with the "Set Program Access and Defaults" tool allowing you to use 3rd party tools for your web browser, email program, media player, instant messaging program and virtual machine for Java.
Spectate Swamp on Jun 24th, 2007 at 5:54 AM:
They should fight. Desktop search will be the most used application on
computers. - Finding and playing your Videos Music Pictures and Text.
Neither are World beaters in the Desktop Search category.
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Robert Andrade on Jun 12th, 2007 at 3:37 PM:
Get off it Google. I normally use the Google Toolbar for IE and normally agree with Google being the best internet search engine however when one realizes that Google Desktop Search is MORE of a resource hog even on WinXP then Windows version one has to question the motivation behind Googles whining and complaining. I have run both Vista Search and Google search on my machine and have noticed that google is still a resource hog.