Backfence.com--Microsoft Working to Pre-Empt Google?

Backfence.com--Microsoft Working to Pre-Empt Google?: "The bigger picture remains: Microsoft is using its overwhelming dominance, once again, to thwart rivals. This time it's up against a powerful competitor, however, not the relative pipsqueak that Netscape represented back in the 1990s, a company Microsoft throttled with illegal tactics (unpunished in the end).
Google has a point in its complaints. But the company's own power and practices will win it relatively little sympathy. "

Dan Gillmor's take; read the full post.

BTW Netscape wasn't seen as a "relative pipsqueak" during the 1990s; its IPO revolutionized (for better or worse) tech stock offerings, and many in the press/punditry positioned it as "the next Microsoft." Had Microsoft not effectively addressed changing market dynamics with a version of IE that leapfrogged Netscape Navigator, things would have turned out very differently.

BTW2, I think Microsoft was indeed punished for its tactics with Netscape, having been deemed a monopolist etc. Perhaps Google will also soon qualify for that status, and the different competitive criteria/constraints/scrutiny it entails.

In any case, Dan Gillmor is right that Google is likely to win relatively little sympathy.