Not content with merely dominating just about every other market on the PC, Microsoft is once again looking to take over markets that they don’t have a stranglehold on according to a report at Wired News: Microsoft Covets Google’s Niche.

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Microsoft, the world’s No. 1 software maker, on Wednesday said it is taking aim at privately held Google, the Web-search company that’s so popular its name is used as a verb.

“We do view Google more and more as a competitor.“

Of course you do. They are a market leader in an area you have little to no influence in and they appear to be making money at it. Can’t have that. That’s the same logic you applied to getting into the video game console business. I’m wondering how long before you

really

start to branch out into producing your own cars or vacuum cleaners.

“We believe that we can provide consumers with a better product and a better user experience.“

Of course you believe that. You also believe that Windows XP is the “most secure version of Windows ever.“ Which is kinda like saying that the Titanic was the most unsinkable boat ever at its time (which it was, until it sank).

“That’s something that we’re actively looking at doing,“ said Bob Visse, director of marketing for Microsoft’s MSN Internet services division.

So should I take that to mean that the search engine at your MSN portal is more of an after-thought than a serious attempt at a search engine? You’ve only just now realized that consumers want a good search engine that returns relevant results to the search terms they’ve entered? What the fuck took you guys so long to figure this out?

The main reason I have a Windows OS on my PC right now is because that’s where the games are. I’m just holding out in hopes that more developers will start putting the games I want to play out on either Linux or the Mac at a more timely pace. If that ever does come to pass I’ll be dropping Windows like an envelope full of anthrax.