content/posts/2006-01-12-we-really-meant-do-very-little-evil.html


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---
date: "2006-01-12T22:32:45Z"
title: We Really Meant "Do Very Little Evil"
---

<p>Is the <a href="http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/Rooster.htm">year of the Rooster</a> <a href="http://google.com/">Google</a>'s last year of
benevolence?  Until now, <a href="http://google.com/">Google</a> has managed to be the darling of the
<a href="http://slashdot.org/">caffeine-saturated Slashdot crowd</a>,
the scourge of <a href="http://microsoft.com/">Microsoft</a>, and
generally one step ahead of everyone
else.  Oh, the <a href="http://google.com/">Google</a> search engine isn't too bad either.</p>

<p>So what's up with <a href="http://google.com/">Google</a> as of late?  In the past few months, 
<a href="http://google.com/">Google</a> has </p>

<ul>
<li>Released <a href="http://pack.google.com/">GooglePack</a>, an underwhelming Windows-centric
software pack</li>
<li>Released, then pulled, <a href="http://google-analytics.com/">Google Analytics</a>, an ad-targeting system</li>
<li><a href="http://news.com.com/What+the+Google-AOL+deal+means+for+users/2100-1024&#95;3-6010327.html">Partnered</a> with <a href="http://aol.com/">AOL</a>, and agreed to give <a href="http://aol.com/">AOL</a>
advertising and content some sort of preferential treatment</li>
<li>Released <a href="http://video.google.com/">Google Video</a>, a proprietary, 
<acronym title='Digital Rights Management'>DRM</acronym>-encumbered
video store and client</li>
</ul>

<p>Even if we ignore the first two as silliness and attribute the third as
a hedge bet against <a href="http://microsoft.com/">Microsoft</a>, that still leaves us with a company
&mdash; who's by-line, incidentally, is "do no evil" &mdash; releasing yet another bloody 
<acronym title='Digital Rights Management'>DRM</acronym>-crippled media
player.  Which means more vendor lock-in, and more media in a format
which can't be easily &mdash; or, in some places, legally &mdash;
transferred between 
programs.</p>

<p>Then again, maybe they're just having an off month.  I guess we'll just
have to wait and see.</p>