Pushing this entry back to the front after its first publication in October 2004. It's fun to see what's been right about it, and what already looks quite old context. It's from the pre-Youtube/Facebook/iPhone era!

Despite the buzz, I'm not really excited about Google working on a browser or IM client, though I definitely can imagine them buying Trillian and giving its Pro version for free. I guess they'll negotiate interop with AIM and they might even force the hand of Microsoft and Yahoo, which would be a Good Thing.

But looking at Google Desktop and its local web server comes a more intriguing thought. How about partnering with or acquiring a large ISP/WISP (say, Earthlink) to deliver an affordable service bundle with symmetrical bandwidth, static IPs, reliable DNS, and self-publishing with Blogger, Picasa and Hello. Let millions of personal web servers bloom and piggy back on that big wave of user-generated content.

Google would basically re-index their customers' sites (just a directory on their desktop really) on the fly, and share the results with the rest of the world (or not) based on user settings (do not confuse the wedding pictures and the honeymoon sex tape, ok). And now it makes sense to give software for free because you have other ways to bill consumers and learn about them. How's that for increasing targeted ad inventory while diversifying your revenue sources, and wiring yourself into people's life as well as within the fabric of the internet?

Here's a really excellent wrap-up of the staggering mediocrity at Microsoft for pretty much a decade. Detailed, informed, right on target.

We lost the domain name in some administrative snafu a couple years ago, but for anyone who might still care, I just realized Jason Shellen has revived TEOF's archives hosted now on blogspot.

The Google "everything for free" effect is now at its apex with the NYT, WSJ or the Economist pretty much throwing the towel on online paid content to go after more ad revenue. Of course when the next advertising cyclical downturn comes there will be a lot of hand wringing about lost revenue and how subscriptions are nice and predictable.

This must be why we're working on our own subscription service! Not for the general public though. We might be bold but not crazy.