The Google Puffin desktop

There is a rumor going about Google planning to attack Microsoft on its home turf: desktop software. The "Puffin" software will apparently search the web as well as look for files on your own computer.

(May 20 2004) According to the New York Times Google will shortly launch a file and text software search tool for locating information stored on personal computers.

Some say it is an act of desperation, others that it is a stroke of genius. The truth lays somewhere in between.

Google's tremendous success in searching came as a surprise to Microsoft, which did not understand the potential searching had for catching loyal users and ad revenue. To this day Microsoft has no search engine of their own. Their MSN portal is powered by one of their competitors: Yahoo!

Bill Gates has realized his mistake, however, and his programmers and engineers are now working hard on developing a brand new search engine that is to compete with Google and Yahoo! It will be ready by next year at the latest.

Google fears this more than anything else, as Microsoft has the capital and maybe even the talent needed to develop a Google killer. Microsoft is no good at innovation, but the company is a master at imitation.

Microsoft copied Apple's userfriendly interface when launching Windows. Even those of us who are using the Macintosh, will have to admit that Windows is totally dominating the market for operative system. In the same way the Microsoft Explorer has pushed the once mighty Netscape browser into oblivion.

The fact that Microsoft is controlling Windows and the Explorer is a threat to Google. Microsoft is working on a new version of Windows called Longhorn which will present an even closer integration of the browser and the desktop.

Moreover, Microsoft also plans to join the capabilities for searching the computer with their Web search engine, making it easier for users to search the Web. And no, that search facility will not be powered by Google.

This is where Google's "Puffin" project comes in. By launching a desktop application that combines the need for searching for Web sites and local files, Google may hope that it will be able to build a more loyal user base, also on the PC side.

Google has already proved that it is able to build software that can be integrated into the Windows operating system. The popular Google toolbar adds an extra bar to the Internet Explorer, giving access to the Google search engine and more. There is also the Google deskbar, that integrates Google search into the Windows taskbar.

Will Google succeed by pursuing such a strategy?

Well, they may certainly make Google a little bit more "sticky", meaning that searchers downloading "Puffy" will be more loyal to Google than others. This, for instance, applies to users of the HotBot Desktop, a tool that already functions as a combined Web searcher, newsreader and local file finder.

However, Microsoft has the advantage that they do not have to ask searchers to download anything. Their version of "Puffy" is already part of the operating system. This definitely gives Microsoft an "unfair" advantage it is hard to compete with.

Does this mean that Google is bound to go the same way as Netscape?

No.

Google will no longer be the search engine giant it is today, that's for sure. The fact that Yahoo! switched from using Google to their own search engine technology has already reduced Google's global domination significantly, and the new MSN search engine will become a mighty competitor.

However, Google has already proved that it is possible for enthusiasts to compete in this marked, provided that they give the searchers what they want, and that is high quality search results. If Google keeps on delivering highly relevant results, they will keep a large number of their loyal visitors.

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