Google Seeks to Develop Parallel Internet? 408
KhanReaper writes "As reported on On the Media and Business 2.0, Google appears to be purchasing dark (unused) fiber optic cable across the United States with the intention of building its own alternative parallel internet that would presumably be called GoogleNet. Possessing such a thing could allow Google to offer internet access in the form of free wifi or other means and create a powerful captive marketing audience which Google could monopolize. Outside of these marketing opportunities, such a development in infrastructure could help reduce Google's long-term content delivery costs were it to take on more bandwidth-intensive activities in the future."
Wow, scary! (Score:1, Interesting)
Steve Jobs once said ... (Score:5, Interesting)
This GoogleNet idea is an interesting one, but I expect such a proprietary internet would lack would be shunned by the hackers and outlaws that bring true innovation to the technology world.
That being said, Google is much more open to developers than the other monopoly we're familiar with. And they have been collecting money and PhDs at an alarming rate -- they have something big planned.
Clearly Google realizes (like Microsoft before them) that he who owns the platform wins. By building a "better" internet, GoogleNet could be the next Win32 API enabling Google to have an earth-shattering money machine. Perhaps Google's stock is not over-valued afterall.
Sam
Not that scary. (Score:5, Interesting)
So what if they do. Just because Googlenet shows up doesn't mean the old internet ceases to function. If it becomes a draconian mess, no one will use it, and it will slip into irrelevance like Gopher.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Interesting)
Only if... (Score:5, Interesting)
...They get it right.
In my opinion, what Microsoft seems to suffer from is getting things to market as fast as possible to remain (or at least appear to remain) competitive. The problem is, that once a product is in the wild, a lot of bugs and security flaws turn up which results in patching the software for the remainder of the time you own it.
The release and patch process is what the Mozilla Foundation seems to be falling into lately as well.
Google, on the other hand, seems to take a more "future use" approach to what they do, giving their products better longevity and as a result, a better experience to their users.
If they (Google) can "get it right" with a parallel network, they basically trump everyone in the market today who has laid claim to making the Internet better. If Google applies their anti-spam engine to network nodes, spam virtually faces extinction. And you know, if they watch what I surf and how I surf and it results in a better experience for me then I for one welcome our new Google overlords.
Missing the point (Score:5, Interesting)
Parallel/Alternative? (Score:2, Interesting)
Maybe they can fix spam? (Score:2, Interesting)
If we want to go out on a limb. (Score:5, Interesting)
However, it might not be particularly unrealistic to suspect that Google might be considering starting an ISP.
Right now the ISP market is kind of shrinking because last-mile issues are effectively preventing anyone from providing broadband service unless they already own a high-bandwidth wire going directly into your house. However if 802.16 and similar technology delivers on its promises, it could remove this obstacle-- meaning that you'd be able to break into the ISP market with little more than the kind of purchases Google is making right now.
This theory is most definitely a stretch! However, unlike Business 2.0's "make a second internet and provide free access for some reason!" theory, at least it isn't stupid.
Also, who's to say Google even has a plan as to what to do with this dark fiber? As even Business 2.0 notes, now is a really good time to buy this stuff; you can get it cheap. Anybody ever heard of buy low, sell high?
The medium is not the message (Score:3, Interesting)
Moreover, I doubt something like GoogleNet could even overtake the Internet as we know it. What I can see, however, is a GoogleNet in terms of a web service combining Google's all over the place software approach into a single unified framework.
Finally, as usual, I hope Google isn't discounting the presence of Microsoft. Microsoft, has in-fact, the world's largest VoIP and gaming network with Xbox Live, a fact that many people often seem to forget. And to think, it only took them a fairly short while to get it up and running.
No, but... (Score:3, Interesting)
How about this? (Score:5, Interesting)
My guess is they're jumpstarting the migration to IPv6 with their own backbone. Offer free WiFi, but it'll be IPv6. Not only does everyone (possibly) get free WiFi, but they also get their own net block.
*scratches chin*
Now THAT would be something.
Re:Well... (Score:3, Interesting)
IPV6? Please Google, just do it. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:If we want to go out on a limb. (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Steve Jobs once said ... (Score:4, Interesting)
I use the term "outlaw" figuratively -- innovations come from the spirit of constrasting the status quo, original thinkers and rule-breakers. Like the guys who invented Napster, Gnutella, and BitTorrent. Those are outlaws almost in the literal sense, and they are the true internet innovators of our time. Think of rule-breakers like Steve Jobs, Linus Torvalds, Larry and Sergey, and frankly even Jeff Bezos and the young Bill Gates. They are those who dared to, dare I say it, "Think Different".
The great innovations do not generally come from large corporations and especially not monopolies -- mainly because large companies do not succeed by making great software, but rather by sucking less than their competition. It's the smaller, agile, rule-breakers make the great software -- while it may be a stretch to include companies like Apple and Google among this list of "small companies", I do for convenience and because they are the exceptions.
For more of this sort of thinking, and a fun read, pick up "Hackers and Painters" by Paul Graham [tinyurl.com].
Sam
So what? speculation on ATMs? (Score:4, Interesting)
Keep in mind, ATMs (1.5-155Mbit) are very common amoungst all organizations. Over longer distances and in larger volumes (or with growth strategies in mind), fibre is popular as well.
Google is buying circuts, possibly to build some sort of network. Okay? So what? This is all speculation. Maybe they want to make a reliable link for their own content and databases? Maybe they're doing content distribution? Maybe they want to set up some more links to certain areas and join the likes of MCI, Verizon, etc at the top of the Internet for options that other ISPs could route through.
Or maybe they are trying to start their own unconnected network... Who knows! But there is NOTHING even remotely unusual about a company buying up private circiuts for its own use. Most big corps have many of them linking offices, dataceters, and various parts of the world.
NEXT
-M
Google Grid: Epic (Score:5, Interesting)
It's for Torrenting. (Score:3, Interesting)
These fat-pipe seeds will be commercial ventures, perhaps paid by Google for their service; just as we'll pay Google for access to their media banks.
We won't purchase DVDs of TV series seasons; we'll torrent them, paying a buck or two a viewing, and very likely simply erasing the episode after we're done -- it's cheap enough to get again, and how often does one *really* want to watch an specific episode? Too much new stuff to bother with the old!
Ditto for computer/console games: download them when you want them, delete them when you're done. Or not: games have good replayability, and the vid companies can make money off a user-pay multiplayer network.
And, importantly, ditto also for internet memes. Like the Coral cache or Akamai.
For any popular, largish-file sharing, torrenting is an excellent delivery mechanism for non-realtime use, and Google would stand a very good chance of becoming a dominant "Network Television/Network Radio/Network Bigfiles" company.
Re:Or Maybe (Score:4, Interesting)