Microsoft VS Apple, Google grows

In 1975 Microsoft began selling BASIC interpreters, what we might consider a computer language today. Back then OS's weren't really a part of the computing scene, you wrote your own programs or copied them from a book. But that's not really what I want to talk about, there are thousands of texts on this subject. Microsoft started empire building from then on, trying to dominate the market in all ways. One major move they made was to corner IBM to distribute their OS.They put their Internet browser that was not standards compliant on there OS, not just to obliterate the Netscape browser, but to obliterate the server market that Netscape was a part of. By having a browser that was incompatible with there server, they were taking the bread and butter of Netscape. This is key part of what happened, this is when Microsoft truly started empire-building. A sort of allegory, in which Microsoft began building castles. Companies like Apple tried to compete, but they were competing on the same terms, and in the early days they thought that simply having a better product would win the war. However this didn't work. Apple and Microsoft were the equivalents of warring nations, and though Apple (debatably) provided better products, it was simply out gunned. Even after Steve Jobs came back in coup like glory, they were still fighting the same war. They did take a step forward in making a remarkable phone, with a good profit markup. Even though Microsoft had a mobile platform, it wasn't that good, and it certainly wasn't a complete solution.
Despite this Apple and Microsoft are still fighting the same war. Apple has taken to use some guerrilla tactics, which while that has helped it hasn't really brought them to equal market share.

Enter Google. "Don't be evil"
Google does not sell computers, or phones, or languages. Googles sells ads. It leases various platforms such as AndroidOS for phones, eventually ChromeOS for netbooks(and maybe more). Google offers applications....for free. Most of the code for these products are freely available. The quality of it's mail app, is in my opinion comparable to Outlook, and while I wouldn't say the other google doc apps are perfect, or are as feature rich as Microsoft's apps, I would say that they are a replacement, I wouldn't scoff at, and what's more, they are free. So I wanted to leave with one metaphor, if Apple and Microsoft are nation building empires, filled with castles and war machines, this is not what google is. Google is a form of ivy. And while ivy in general will not do any damage to a well mortared wall, it will however tear down, walls with imperfections, walls of castles that have been fighting each other for years.