The Biz of Coding

Google Invokes Antitrust on Microsoft Vista Desktop Search

by Ujwal Tickoo on June 12th, 2007

In my heavily-read post comparing Google Desktop 5 with Microsoft Desktop Search – I had questioned how Google would compete with Microsoft in the long run, given Vista's built-in Desktop Search would run by default. The Indexer of Vista would start from day-1 of a user creating and adding documents to her PC: I had written in that post:

So what incentive is Google giving to users to download and install GD5 on Windows *especially * on Vista?

The advantage that Microsoft has is that indexing will start from day 1 of a user using Vista. While with Google Desktop the indexing will start after a user manually downloads and installs Google's software.

This means if a user has 10 GB of data on a hard disk with Vista and then downloads and installs Google Desktop — indexing will beging from Scratch for Google's Desktop Search to happen. On the other hand Vista would have indexed the users data from day 1.

Google has invoked Antitrust concerns on Vista Desktop Search Ars Technica NY reports:

Google months ago filed a confidential complaint with the Justice Department, asking that Microsoft be forced to alter Vista's desktop search behavior on antitrust grounds.

The complaint says that Vista's indexing service cannot easily be turned off and creates a drag on system resources when operating at the same time as rival indexers, like the one in Google Desktop Search. Google argues that this behavior is anticompetitive…

According to Seattle Post:

Microsoft has not seen the text of the Google complaint, but it is working with state and federal officials to try to resolve the issue, Evans told the Seattle P-I Saturday afternoon.

"Although we don't believe we're obliged to make these changes under the consent decree, we certainly are willing to make an effort to address these issues and make additional changes to Vista," he said.

In a e-mail message Sunday, Google spokesman Ricardo Reyes said: "The search boxes built throughout Vista are hard-wired to Microsoft's own desktop search product, with no way for users to choose an alternate provider from these visible search access points. Likewise, Vista makes it impractical to turn off Microsoft's search index."

This is clearly Round 2.0 of the Google-Microsoft Anti-trust invocations. Microsoft had earlier invoked this issue on Google's Double-Click Acquistion. Microsoft is clearly under pressure after Google released a Microsoft Office competitior while MSFT has not found a good answer to compete with Google on Web Search and related Advertising revenue. MSFT recently paid an 85% premium to buy aQuantive to compete better in online ad market.

POSTED IN: Google