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About three years since the IP of search giant Google the company has enjoyed a 500 percent increase in its share value.  That’s impressive compared to Microsoft’s third anniversary in 1989 with a 400 percent increase.

With any success companies like Google and Microsoft will have their critics.  In their case, lawsuits.  Antitrust regulators in the US and in Europe are looking at Google’s purchase of DoubleClick as possible violation.  Antitrust regulators looked at Microsoft the same was back in the mid 90s for its Windows operating system.

Like Microsoft Google also has people working on an open source solution that doesn’t include the company.  The growth of the open source Linux operating system is due, in large part to the success of Microsoft.

Some analysts are saying that this is pretty much where these talks should end.  Microsoft has about a 90% share of the operating system market, a clear majority.  Google, on the other hand, holds a 50% share.  That certainly doesn’t come close to Microsoft’s hold on the OS market.  Others are saying that is only a matter of time before Google reaches critical mass like Microsoft has.

With the advent of an open source solution there may be ways around Google (ala Windows/Linux) but until that time we’ll all have to live in a world of an 800 lb search gorilla.

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