In the interests of helping entrepreneurs bring their ideas to a larger audience, Microsoft corp. and Google Inc. have set aside their differences and will jointly fund a new lab dubbed Reliable, Adaptive and Distributed Systems, or RAD. Also contributing to the team are Sun Microsystems Inc. and faculty from the University of California, Berkeley which is where the lab will be housed. Scheduled to open on Thursday, RAD is slated to dispense $1.5 million annually over the next five years.

In the not too distant past Microsoft and Google have seen fierce competition, especially in the search arena, and their dirty laundry has at least been partially aired in a recent Washington state legal battle over Google's hiring of some former Microsoft personnel. Commenting on the venture Microsoft senior researcher James Larus said that the joint venture should not be seen as a truce. "We are not going into this with the idea that we are going to be collaborating with Google or that they will be collaborating with us," said Larus.

News source: The Herald News / The Associated Press





There are 10 additional comments
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(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by el__sid on 15 Dec 2005 - 15:01
What do they mean by "Web-based Software Services"?
Quote this comment #1.1 Posted by toadeater on 15 Dec 2005 - 18:43
Services that, uh... run on the web? You know, applications that use the server for processing instead of your PC. Like Google Maps. Or those webcam chat things. You can call up an Eastern European webcam hooker and then see a satellite shot of her village on Google Maps.
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by Intelman on 15 Dec 2005 - 15:46
When working together great things can happen. It is always an advantage.
Quote this comment #2.1 Posted by brianshapiro on 15 Dec 2005 - 16:10
unless youre talking about oligopoly
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by Porp on 15 Dec 2005 - 17:08
Odd.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by SniperX on 15 Dec 2005 - 18:19
I love the way that the Author tries to imply that this is some type of landmark shift in state between Google and Microsoft, when it clearly states:

"We are not going into this with the idea that we are going to be collaborating with Google or that they will be collaborating with us"

So the real news is that Google and MS have an interest in the same area. Well, duh...
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by lylesback2 on 15 Dec 2005 - 21:36
two big power houses working together

Quote this comment #5.1 Posted by shao on 16 Dec 2005 - 10:48
two big power houses, and sun.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by mikeyj on 15 Dec 2005 - 22:11
Co-operation don't hinder technological advancement. Good to see these two giants working together for what seems to be a good idea of some sort.
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