I think that the applications should not look alike. I would prefer it to be easy to tell where I am than just know I am at google. Also, if I hear "passionate" again to describe computer people I am going to barf. How has such a non-descriptive word gotten so far. And here it seems to be applied to a "user base" -- Come on now. That does not even make sense. And by the way, my text DID match the image. Case sensitive, perhaps? Get another word or invent one, PLEASE!!!

A unified interface is truly important to google success since it is the only way for google to create standards. If they don't at least provide a unified API for programmers, I think they will face great problems. It has always been microsoft strategy to provide interfaces to make their solutions become standards. Hopefully enough, Google has released a google desktop API for programmers but windows vista will come with an integrated search tool too. So here is an example where google will face difficulties. They didn't want to realease this API, and finnally decided to, but it was too late, vista is coming and google desktop is far from being a standard in term of desktop search. If they had keeped in mind to provide an API for google desktop from the beginning it could have been used by a lot more programs and would be now a standard that no user can avoid if they want to run as an example firefox or thunderbird or a very large class of non Microsoft programs. This is not the case today and I think google desktop will disapear with vista release : I am working on a project that need to search among user files, I will certainly prefer to wait for vista realease and be sure that all the users have vista's search tool on their computer rather than using google desktop interface that will force my users to go download it before they can install my program. It is true that it is a particular case but the same could happem to any of their solutions unless they provide a unified interface for users as well as for programmers. Standardization is the not the only way but it is a very efficient way to conquer a market, and microsoft knows that better than anyone else. -stan

The UI for orkut, its social networking site, cant be like its usual google style. There r lots of things which go into picking up the same features, but most of the Google's sites have a unique style.

I think this apparent lack of consistency is representative of the fact that we're very much at the nascent stage of widespread Web-based application deployment. As such, interface rules governing what does and does not work in this milieu are still in the process of being worked out. I would expect Google - and any other ISVs developing Web-based apps, for that matter - would be actively investigating longer-term cohesive interface solutions for their offerings. Until then, expect a lot of different ideas to be tossed at the wall. Most will fail. Some will stick. And it's all shockingly reminiscent of the Windows-based application interface evolution over the past 15 or so years.

None of the Google toys are mission-critical and no one would think of incorporating them into the business process; thus, it is better to let every development team do its own thing than to enforce a layer of management to conform and intorperate them Let them have their fun!!!

Read my lips: Google Apps for Your Domain does not compete with Microsoft Office. Microsoft's Office market may be $12B, but the lion's share of those billions comes from a relatively small number of large companies. Writely can't compete with Word, Spreadsheets can't compete with Excel. They cater to the Soccer Mom, not the corporate worker. Right now, you need both to do your job. It's not a zero sum game.

Read my lips: Google Apps for Your Domain does not compete with Microsoft Office. Microsoft's Office market may be $12B, but the lion's share of those billions comes from a relatively small number of large companies. Writely can't compete with Word, Spreadsheets can't compete with Excel. They cater to the Soccer Mom, not the corporate worker. Right now, you need both to do your job. It's not a zero sum game.

Read my lips: Google Apps for Your Domain does not compete with Microsoft Office. Microsoft's Office market may be $12B, but the lion's share of those billions comes from a relatively small number of large companies. Writely can't compete with Word, Spreadsheets can't compete with Excel. They cater to the Soccer Mom, not the corporate worker. Right now, you need both to do your job. It's not a zero sum game.

Read my lips: Google Apps for Your Domain does not compete with Microsoft Office. Microsoft's Office market may be $12B, but the lion's share of those billions comes from a relatively small number of large companies. Writely can't compete with Word, Spreadsheets can't compete with Excel. They cater to the Soccer Mom, not the corporate worker. Right now, you need both to do your job. It's not a zero sum game.

Read my lips: Google Apps for Your Domain does not compete with Microsoft Office. Microsoft's Office market may be $12B, but the lion's share of those billions comes from a relatively small number of large companies. Writely can't compete with Word, Spreadsheets can't compete with Excel. They cater to the Soccer Mom, not the corporate worker. Right now, you need both to do your job. It's not a zero sum game.

Read my lips: Google Apps for Your Domain does not compete with Microsoft Office. Microsoft's Office market may be $12B, but the lion's share of those billions comes from a relatively small number of large companies. Writely can't compete with Word, Spreadsheets can't compete with Excel. They cater to the Soccer Mom, not the corporate worker. Right now, you need both to do your job. It's not a zero sum game.