Info Chat

Well, ten years ago yesterday, the Google domain was registered by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Today, Google is one of the top 20 global brands according to BusinessWeek Online - see article here.

So little Google has come a very long way in ten short years, having started out as just a couple of servers in a garage in northern California a decade ago. You know the funny thing is I had a couple of servers in my garage back in 1997 too. Well, the back corner of my Dad’s garage to be specific. For the readers that don’t know me personally, my company did NOT end up in the top 20 global brands list this August. Or the top 100, or any list for that matter.

I can only assume that Brin and Page had better servers than I did. I knew I shoudn’t have bought Gateways…

Share This

After I posted my recent blog about Google Gears and its failure to thrill me, a thought occurred to me (a rare occasion, ask my friends). What are the NEW concepts in Information Technology? Wikis, blogs, tagging, mashups - not so new at all. I’m sure if anyone was reading this blog, I would get a myriad of responses refuting that statement. Seriously though, think about it for just a minute.

Is tagging new, or is it just a new twist on bookmarking (think about ten years back and sites like itlist.com or hotlist)? Are blogs new, or are they the latest reincarnation of the message board, which then became a discussion forum? Are mashups new, or is it simply a new name for a portal? Hey - even the first Wiki appeared back in 1995.

Of course all of these Web 2.0 concepts are unique in that they are extremely simple for the end user to participate in, and are becoming more widespread. So while they are evolutionary in technology, what they are not is innovative in concept.

So where has the innovation gone? Where is the new technology that will change business as we know it? Who is going to revolutionize how people use technology to process information and knowledge?

Not me, I’m going to have another blueberry ale instead…

Share This

Now that the Google Gears beta has arrived, there seems to be a lot of excitement out in webland about its possibilities, and the introduction of online/offline access with the same application. Pardon me if I refrain from jumping up and down.

There are a couple of things that are tempering my enthusiasm for the latest buzz about how the web will change the world. First, this really is not a new concept. Salesforce.com has had an offline module for a couple of years now. Nine years ago my company had a product that allowed healthcare workers to log case information via one web-based interface, whether they were online or off. It was all MS technology and was not incredibly difficult to implement. Of course I understand the technology has advanced - cross platform, even cross application access are some of the new possibilities. Still, I don’t think the concept or execution is groundbreaking or game-changing for the business, maybe just a little easier for IT to implement and deploy.

Secondly I’m not convinced Microsoft is of the mind to give up the desktop just yet. And really, this is where Google probably wants to head (in closed door meetings in Mountain View at least) . Providing cross platform applications with the richness and autonomy of desktop applications would certainly take aim at reducing the core value of the OS. Why else would we not have seen MS Gears or OfficeWeb 6 years ago? Because MS didn’t have the foresight or execution ability? I think not. MS will continue to ensure that you want Windows Whatever on your desktop.

Third and most importantly, cool technology aside, how critical is this to the business? What percentage of people in any given enterprise spend so much time disconnected they would greatly benefit from offline access to not necessarily up to date information? I’ll venture a guess that it is not enough to warrant enterprises making significant investments, or they would have done so years ago. Sometimes we lose sight of the actual value of technology as the hype cycle creeps upwards.

Finally, since this is an Information blog, what does this do to enhance the value, relevance, or timeliness of information (the fuel for the enterprise). Maybe I am missing it, but I don’t see it.

So, pardon my lack of excitement about Google Gears or Adobe Apollo. I’ll save my giddiness for the day Google, MS, or some other software vendor introduces a technology that helps me do my job better, not just in more places.

Share This