Editorial The Battle of the Box
In their struggle for dominance, neither Microsoft nor Google wants to give an inch. Right now the exact inch they are fighting over is visible in the upper-right corner of a small but growing number of computer screens. It's called a search box, and it is just one battleground in a much larger conflict between two premier high-tech companies.
Microsoft recently released a "beta" or test version of its latest Internet Explorer Web browser. Other browsers, like Firefox or Apple's Safari, already have search boxes. They allow users to enter search terms without first going to the trouble of entering the Web address for a search engine.
Say you wanted to buy a bicycle. Instead of going to www.google.com and typing "bicycle," you type it right into the little box. The browser launches the search from there and displays the results on a Web page, basically cutting out a step in the process. The rub, according to Google, is which search engine the browser uses.
Google contends that Microsoft's real motive in adding the search box to its browser is to shift as many users as possible to its own MSN search engine. In essence, Google is accusing Microsoft of the same old tricks that got it in trouble with the government in the first place, leveraging its operating- system monopoly to elbow out competitors.
Microsoft's past bad behavior makes it an easy target for criticism, but this is a far cry from Microsoft's attack on the Netscape Navigator Web browser. Microsoft counters that computer makers and users generally choose the defaults and many users already have Yahoo or Google. It's easy to change, Microsoft contends, and Google has directions on its sites to walk users through the easy steps.
This is really just a flare-up in a larger rivalry. It is called competition, and that's a good thing. Competition should lead to lower prices, better products and improved service. In that case, the customer wins. Microsoft has announced that it will spend $2 billion more next year than its previous estimate. If the company doesn't innovate faster, if it continues to roll out major products at its recent snail's pace, Google will overtake it once and for all.
The government should act something like a referee in a boxing match, staying out of the way unless one of the two starts fighting dirty. That means making sure that Microsoft stays within the boundary of its settlement with the government. It also means keeping an eye on Google, which is just learning to throw its considerable weight around. Let's have a good clean fight.
