Dont know if you noticed the Google failure Saturday, but it has generated a lot of discussion in the tech world. One of the general fears is a type of Matrix centralization of control and power. Ironically, Google is the company aiming for that. Rumor has it they are anticipating a future where every computer is linked to a fulltime global internet. Not a far fetched idea. Google's response to that is to think of their system, their apps, as your one stop shop. They envision a completely online Operating System, document management system etc. No hard drive needed because nothing is stored locally. They have it all. Your computer operates through their servers, apps, and software.
Tech people tend to be instinctive leftists- primarily for reasons I have covered in other posts. But they also have a strong commitment to the free market, especially competition, because they have so much positive experience with competition producing better products. What we all worry about is a web monoculture that emulates Microsoft's 90s dominance of the software market- generally considered a bad time for innovation. But what happens if someone hacks that network or if it shuts down? Y2k all over again or nothing to worry about?
Monday, February 2, 2009
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