I think we can all agree that the Sun – Google (Sungle) annoucement was a bust.  It was basically Sun reminding everyone that Sun is still the hip, cool, open-source, ‘we hate microsoft’ company it always was.  I think they just want to say, ‘See, we really are cool.  The Google guys will hang out with us’.  Sun has long been at the forefront of anti-Microsoft initatives.  Once upon a time a Sun workstation running Unix was considered the ‘real man’s Operating System’.  Then along came Linus Torvald to take Sun’s glory.

I am encouraged to see Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems discuss the end of the PC era and the beginning of the network era.  He certainly seems to be trying to get the expression, « The Netwok is the PC » to catch on in a McLuhan-esque way.  I agree that the era of the PC is over.  Laptop computers which seem to get cheaper every time my Futureshop flyer gets delivered are basically closed systems for 90% of users.  So how soon before I buy my computer from my Internet Service Provider ?

 Google is spending too much time doing these photo ops and re-assuring everyone that it will take on Microsoft.  My message to Google: Forget about Microsoft.  The era of the PC is over, and with it the era of Microsoft. 

 Google must focus on developing a next generation Operating System, a lean, thin OS that can be downloaded and installed via a high speed Internet connection.  Service Packs, OS upgrade cycles tied to hardware, Anti-virus patches… forget it.  I come home, I turn on my Box, it queries a central server run by my ISP, and dowloads the latest OS.  It works.  Oh and at the same time, it downloads a bunch of advertising and video programs.  After I view photos a friend posted on her blog, read the news headlines, I watch the latest episode of my favourite show.

 Microsoft who ?  Microsoft does not even factor into that picture.  Microsoft has built its empire on factory installed software and with extensive distribution agreements (read Dell) it took the Operating System market.  But as an organization Microsoft is entirely incapable of writing a thin client OS as I have described.  Google is entirely capable of it.  But not if they focus on beating Microsoft at their current game (PCs and laptops).  Please Google, look to the future of technology integration in the home and office.  Do not make the same mistake as Marc Andreessen and spend so much time talking about killing Microsoft, believing your own hype and spending your millions that you give Microsoft just enough time to figure out how it screwed up, fix that and develop a winning strategy.