We've all been wondering what's Google trying to do. Why is Microsoft so afraid of them? Why Eric Schmidt joined the Apple Board of Directors.

Let's go back in time for a moment and see how they started: The company founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were not terribly fond of each other when they first met as Stanford University graduate students in computer science in 1995. And although they argued about every topic they discussed, the two founders started working on a search engine called BackRub, named for its unique ability to analyze the "back links" pointing to a given website.

In 1998 they finally hit the jackpot and got $100,000 from Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems. He made a check out to Google, Inc. Nice, you might say. But Google, Inc didn't existed back then. Ultimately they brought in a total initial investment of almost $1 million.

The Google Search Engine launched in beta, and after short time it was already answering 10,000 search queries each day. Google was moving up in the world. One year later (1999), Google was already serving 500,000 search queries each day, with nearly 8 employees and a garage office.

In 2000 Google was already the number one search engine in the world. They moved to the Googleplex, hired more and more people, and since then, what started to be a college project became the most innovative company on the planet. They are constantly improving their search algorithm, launched Adsense, a context-based advertising system, Gmail, a email solution that revolutionized the free email market, by offering 1gb storage (and constantly growing, reaching almost 3gb now), Spreadsheets, Analytics, Writely, Calendar, Reader, Browser Synchronize, and much more.

Now let's see why Microsoft is so afraid of Google. First of all, the speed. Microsoft has been trying for the last few years to launch Vista, their new operating system. Their corporate system isn't working in a world where information and innovation is everything. The Google guys launch new products on a weekly basis, they are building enormous datacenters, and all this is done with a strategy in mind, no doubt about it.

So where is Google heading? Looking back in history, it's really simple. The Google OS. Online. Wouldn't it be awesome to have all your information online and be able to use it anywhere on the planet, from any computer? Yes, that's where they're heading, and it's not going to be that long until they get there.

Emi Gal is a young romanian mathematician, engineer and entrepreneur. He started his first business at 17 years old. Sold it one year later. Currently he’s running Brainient, a software development and IT outsourcing company located in Romania, with representatives in France and UK. For more details check http://www.brainient.com.

What is Windows Vista? I have been getting this a lot lately with all of the buzz and hype on the Internet. Windows Vista is the newest PC Operating System to be launched in November 2006. The system has already been sent out to over 2 million users for beta testing and has got huge reviews!

Windows Vista improves application quality, enables developers to create richer, easier-to-use applications, and adds comprehensive API's (Application Program Interface) for accessing connectivity infrastructure.

1. Find and Use Information - Increasing user productivity by making it easier to find and use information.
2. Enable Mobile Workforce - Enabling a better connected more collaborative and more secure mobile workforce.
3. Improve Security and Compliance - Helping protect your data, secure your environment, and make it easier to achieve compliance with regulations and policies.
4. Optimize Desktop Infrastructure - Reducing cost and complexity of deploying, managing, and supporting your company PCs.

With the advances in Windows Vista™, Microsoft enables the Windows platform to deliver on three key essentials:
> Helping people to be more confident by making the operating system safer, more reliable, and more responsive
> Helping people gain clarity by removing clutter and improving organization
> Helping people connect with others easily and securely by improving network security and integration collaboration

Windows Vista empowers developers to create software that embodies these three essentials.

Windows Vista makes it easy to connect to information, connect to systems, and connect to customers. Using the Windows Communication Foundation Web services infrastructure, developers can create applications that communicate seamlessly across a wide range of hardware and software. Additionally, Windows Vista provides RSS support to enable developers to create experiences that aggregate information from multiple sources.

Amanda Bode is Co-Owner and Managing Director of Select Networks, LLC, which specializes in Computer Network Support for the small-medium business located in the metro Kansas City area, other services include Website/email hosting and Website design solutions. http://www.selectkc.com.