I've evaluated what they are doing on their technical merit. If you want me to give you a detailed explanation of why I prefer their system, it'd probably take about an hour, so it's a bit much as a HN comment.
I genuinely think their direction with the API I'm using is the way forward, I've been waiting for someone to have the balls to do it for some time.
Any anyway, I must have missed the outpouring of love Google received for closing Reader, for not having a native Google Linux kernel OS Drive client, and so on.
That's your problem. Google is phenomenal on their technical merit. It's the softer, people skills (support, listening to bug reports, etc.) where they constantly shoot themselves in the foot.
It is precisely technical merit where they fell down and that's why he decided against the development.
They turn into Microsoft where brilliant engineers are bogged down by corrupt management :)
If they'd turn evil over night or just stop existing, we'd still have a big net positive left. Not something that can be said for some competitors.
WebM is just an pointless nuisance. The world already has a open, video standard that is widely supported, technically superior and stewarded by a wide array of competing companies. And it's only royalty free because nobody can be bothered to sue them yet. It definitely is patent encumbered (see MPEG-LA's recent 'gift' of patents to VP8).
SPDY was another technology that was developed by Google unilaterally instead of working through the existing IETF process. If Google didn't own Chrome it simply would have never taken of.
And the fact that SPDY was developed unilaterally doesn't take away from Google's generosity in making it available to the world. It's generally well-regarded, and Google haven't attempted to limit it's use by other browsers in any way - much the opposite. Can you imagine Microsoft doing the same when they were the dominant browser?
Again, I'm not saying they introduced either of these technologies from pure altruism. But I am saying I'm glad they exist, and Google's approach to IP is a welcome breath of fresh air (so far).
Anybody has collected more down's for one comment, or is this some kind of record?