Microsoft, Metaphors, And Out-Googling Google

Microsoft has more than a few thorns in its side lately, but that's what happens to megalithic companies expanding and overflowing their manicured lawns into the brush. The software/search/game/everything-else company is more than a giant, it's a fat giant, living off the spoils of a decade before, suddenly noticing the trouble it has climbing stairs. What's worse, companies like Google and Mozilla are fit, fast running, popular, have swell hair-dos, and know how to play ball. Microsoft is the grumpy old fat curmudgeon down the road yelling at these young whippersnappers to get off his lawn, and he's been really touchy lately. Ok, so the writer admits that's a whole bunch of metaphors in just a few sentences-some of us can beat a point to death, but it should be very clear right now what I mean. The buzz this week in Redmond wasn't around legal battles or staff defections or restructure itself in an effort to drive "growth and innovation." The Tin Man is oiling himself up to get in the game. Don't think for a minute I'm through with the metaphors. A lot of talk has been made about Google's massive affront on Microsoft: controlling search, poaching MS employees, taking over as top power brokers, creating useful, seamless, lightweight application after lightweight application among rumors of open source browsers and operating systems. Hell, they're out-Microsofting Microsoft! And they've done it in a way that even Mr. Bill Gates I told you so. And just when you have a hunch that Microsoft has gotten too big and slow for its own good, wheezing and tugging on its shorts trying to keep up, you read a Wall Street Journal