‘benefit the Open Source movement’? Man, what are you talking about?

I think the major theme here has been lost. Perhaps many have never actually *read* ’1984′.

It’s not about collusion with governments, or hackers breaking into Google’s servers. Google itself is looming in the future to be the endocentric evil.

Have you never read ‘Power corrupts.’? (‘…and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’?)

What does Google care what ‘source’ software they use?

The Russian communists said, ‘They will sell us a rope to hang them with.’ Google hasn’t had to pay a dime for the rope. Open source software to control private data. Personal matter. Private things. We already have enough of that on Yahoo, MS, and yes Gmail, servers.

You want supreme court judges keeping records on Google servers? Using Google apps? In 5 years Google could tell the NSA where to get off.

Absolute power. 2014? Your gas company keeps its client’s records on database on Google’s open software apps? Its data in Google’s clouds (sounds entrancing, doesn’t it? ‘cloud-computing’. I see angels playing harps, larks ascending.

Maybe you wanna say nice things about Sergei Brin, et al. Or else wear warm sweaters. ‘Hello, sir? We have no record of you on list. We can’t reconnect if you’re not… Hmm… phone line went dead…’

20 years ago they were called dumb-terminals.

Go for it, lemmings.

MS wants your money.

Apple wants your heart.

Google’s getting your soul.

Who do I trust?
Not Google that’s for sure.
They’ve showed in China what they’ll do in order to be in a market. If Western Gov’s started demanding censorship, Google would provide it.(unquote)

Google was forced to allow China to censor google sites in China or be blocked from Chinese users. They did not however give China access to any data on users – they keep the servers containing theses outside China.

Compare this with Microsoft who provided full access to its Windows source code to the Chinese government, and according to several intelligence agencies in Europe this provides backdoors into Windows PCs that the Chinese government can hack into. Remember the NSA key in Windows?

With open source code like Linux, Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, Google Gears, Google WebToolkit etc. The full source code is published so everyone – the US government, Internet security organisations etc. can check if there are backdoors built into it. This ability to audit the code is the reason why the US National Security Agency (NSA) chose to build its own secure OS, SELinux, on Linux rather than Windows.

Sorry, but your article is not doing a great job in documenting relevant facts or reasons to worry about google.

My question is: where does all the Google bashing coming from? Microsoft maybe? I would not be surprised. FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) is owned (and probably protected by IP rights) by Microsoft, who is currently charging on Google to takeover the internet. Ballmer said, about 5 years ago, that he will bury Google.

Imagine. Microsoft would own the sole OS, the sole apps (msoffice), the sole cloud, the sole internet search, the sole internet standards… Any concern?

My data can stay on my computer on my desk – I am more than capable of using removable storage devices to move data around.
If you blindly trust Corporations because you think their products are groovy then there’s little hope for you.

Google does not care WHOM you are, only what your browser searches for, and service up those ADs.

Again, you do NOT have to use Google OS at all! They are NOT going to kill off Microsoft Windows either.

I think Google OS and Windows 7 and Beyond (Which Windows 7 is what Vista should have been) will compete on different needs for different folks.

There is this shift of moving a lot of APPS ( Not ALL ) to the Cloud. Some will buy or ‘trust’ the Cloud Computing Style (Google) while others will stick with Local computing and Local Apps (Microsoft, mostly because .NET and so many industries already are built using Microsoft as a Platform ).

So, as Google OS may bring up tracking and the use of Advertising Concerns for A LOT of people, they can stick with Microsoft instead.

At least more CHOICES are opening up (MS, Apple and soon Google/Linux) for people to CHOOSE.

Also, someone mentioned do NOT let Linux be converted into Google… well Im sorry to say, that in the end Linux ALREADY has been claimed as a RE-BRANDED Commercial entity. Rehat, Ubuntu, SUSE, anyone? Google will just be one more. (And remember, Google OS will be 100% open source, just like the Chrome Browser, so it will open BENEFIT the entire Open Source Movement… not hinder it!)

This is pure FUD.

I guess it is a pied piper thing, but only Google has the size to combat MS.

It is kind of King Kong vs. Godzilla. You are picking the lesser of two evils. You have to determine who is the biggest threat. Microsoft’s closed system has invited the malicious software problems that have created this criminal protection racket that exists today.

Apple might be Mothra. Apple’s pricing builds the digital divide.

I understand privacy concerns, and while random personal information might be hard to sift through, the information about a specific person would not be.

We need to get past these rival pirates of silicon valley. We need an ally (Google) to do that.

They will stain the Open Source movement.

http://www.debian.org/
http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

PLEASE don’t equate GOOGLE with LINUX!!! Google Does NOT own Linux! It may use Linux as the base for GOOGLE’s O/S, but the other 1000+ distributions of Linux are not controlled by, or “infected” by Google!