Oracle and Google Lock Step

October 30, 2010

Google makes a big announcement. Oracle responds. Google makes a bigger announcement. Oracle responds more vociferously. That’s the Oracle Google lock step, and I don’t see a change any time soon.

The problem is Java or Google’s alleged use of Java.

First, the bigger announcement: Google wants to do to mobile search what it did to Web search. “Place Search” is “a new kind of local search result that organizes the world’s information around places.” Who cares? Mobile users.

Why does Oracle care? Lots of reasons, but I think the main one may be a desire to slap a taxi meter on Googzilla’s run for the next generation local ad market. I assume that the information in “Oracle: Google ‘Directly Copied’ Our Java Code” is reasonably accurate. The message is darned clear: “Oracle has updated its lawsuit against Google to allege that parts of its Android mobile phone software “directly copied” Oracle’s Java code.”

I interpret intent and means in this statement. The intent was to get Java goodies. The means were Google professionals who either worked at Sun Microsystems or who absorbed info from some of the Sun-derful people who now labor in the Googleplex’s vine yards.

I expect the lock step actions to continue. The Silicon Valley legal activity is fascinating. Oracle is making life interesting for Hewlett Packard and Google. More to come.

Stephen E Arnold, October 30, 2010

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Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Google, Legal matters, News

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.