I’m frequently negative on Google (largely because in a few year’s time, Google will likely have a similar lock-in in many of its services/markets to what Microsoft had at its peak). However, the DataLiberation initiative by Google is a huge step in the right direction:
At the heart of this lies our strong commitment to an open web run on open standards. We think open is better than closed — not because closed is inherently bad, but because when it’s easy for users to leave your product, there’s a sense of urgency to improve and innovate in order to keep your users. When your users are locked in, there’s a strong temptation to be complacent and focus less on making your product better.
One Comment
Agree with your sentiment re negative aspects of Google becoming too powerful. I’m looking at Google Code and Wave, most of which is Open Source. Same with Android. As a software developer and [geeky] user, I’m increasingly won over to Google as an inovator and technology provider.