Microsoft's anti-Google site using Google CDN, Google Analytics | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft's anti-Google site using Google CDN, Google Analytics

binaryorganic.com

67 pointsbinaryorganic13 comments

Amusing, but there's no necessary tension between criticizing Google, and still using its services. Often a monopolist has the best offering – whether because it started as the best, or they've cleared the field of any other competition, or (as in the case of the CDN and Analytics) their monopoly profits and omniscience allows them to offer a product at a price point no competitor can match.

If consumer self-help – refusing to use the monopolists' cheap, attractive offering on principle – were enough to restore a diversity of choice, there'd be no need for antitrust law. (I am very sympathetic to this view, in the long run.) But if you believe in antitrust law, and have a legitimate grievance under its logic, you can still believe in using the monopolist's cross-subsidized services while they are available.

Also, you might just want to "know thy enemy".

And yet, on a site that is saying (essentially) that there is more to life than Google... You'd have thought they would have shown off that technology... (which does exist; there are decent Analytics alternatives on the market)

>their monopoly profits and omniscience allows them to offer a product at a price point no competitor can match.

Mixpanel is still in business.

Also runs on a Linux server (CentOS, PHP, Apache, etc etc), sigh I wish the Hacker News community disliked these kind of articles (at the moment is top 1).

This is what probably happened, Microsoft (assuming the site is from Microsoft) hired a consultancy (they do this all the time) to build the site for them and take care of everything (including the content).

If you're a contractor, you probably have a lot of templates and plugins that use Google's products and an Open Source stack.

Without taking sides, the irony is enormous.

Of course the point of "use or complain but not both" is clearly invalid. To organize against the ATT monopoly, folks had to use the telephone. You can resent your local airport monopoly, and still fly to Washington to complain.

But it's still funny. Take care in who you hire to do your dirty work. :-)

Seems like a link-bait title. How is this Microsoft's website?

(Please correct me if I am wrong.)

Not only Microsoft's, but, of all the logos on

http://www.fairsearch.org/about-fairsearch/

at least 3 of the logos have direct ties to them: Tripadvisor is part of Expedia, which was part of Microsoft before being sold (I don't how how much of it) to Ticketmaster. Kayak is a major partner of Microsoft on Bing (after accusations of Microsoft copying their design) and, obviously, Microsoft itself. Travelocity is also a Windows Azure partner (they are one of the companies Microsoft mentions when they push Azure).

So, no. It's not "Microsoft's" site. But we can sense a connection to it, despite the fact the domain is registered to an undisclosed entity through a company in Portugal. It also runs under Apache/PHP on CentOS.

http://www.fairsearch.org/about-fairsearch/ Microsoft seems to be one of many. Looks like it's mostly Microsoft and plane seat booking sites.

I don't see the relevance, the issue at stake is whether Google has a monopoly on search and whether they use that monopoly in an anti-competitive manner. How does using Google Analytics or Google's CDN influence the validity of any of the arguments presented in regard to Google's alleged anti-competitive behavior?

As far as I know the basic argument with regard to anti-competitive behavior goes something like this: A is using their monopoly in the market of B to subsidize products in the market of C to the detriment of D.

With the big examples being:

  AT&T, local telephone service, long distance service, long distance providers
  Microsoft, Desktop Operating Systems, Browsers, Netscape
  Google, Search, Mobile Operating Systems, Microsoft / Apple

Flagged for being link bait

Only goes to show how strong a control Google has over the Internet. It is virtually impossible to havea popular website these days with google not having insight into the usage of the sight.

What is to stop them hosting JQuery themselves? Or using a different Analytics platform? Neither would be "virtually impossible".

Microsoft has always loved spreading FUD about their competitors, so this doesn't really surprise me.

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