Re: Oh dear, once again... (Yawn...)
@ Graham Marsden
"Is that giving you what *YOU* are looking for or what *THEY* decide is best for you to see?"
How do you think they got to be a monopoly?
Was it by telling the end user what they wanted?
Was it by giving the end user something they didn't want?
Was it by only providing links to the sites they approved of? You know like not listing Bing/Yahoo/Altavista/etc... etc?
What you are doing is repeating the same arguments that are used against any successful company. Tesco own the grocery marketplace in the UK, it must be because they're brain washing customers into using their stores... it couldn't possibly be that customers choose to use them because they find them so damned convenient, and so helpful/responsive when they have any kind of problem at all... no it must be Tesco being evil.
Google own the European search market... it couldn't because they provide end users with what they want, no it must be because they're doing evil things and forcing/trapping end users into using their services.... really?
Not one of us who argue against you claim that monopolies are a good thing, indeed I suspect the vast majority of us thing any monoploy supplier should be watched carefully by the regulatory bodies... but the very idea that Google must stop being successful because the competition don't like it is just absolutely fucking incredible... and that somehow the regulator has agreed with this rather incredible argument, and has actively intervened to damage Googles perfectly legally practiced business in favour of those competitors... well how the fuck does that protect comsumers? It's got nothing to do with protecting comsumers... this is about protecting the business interests of the elected representatives... that's the only reason which makes any sense... that some corrupt little twat is getting back handers from various sources to cripple Google in favour of their competitors...
Now show us all where Google are being anti competitive... show us a single search where they don't respond with appropriate links, and where their competitiion isn't rated appropriately. I've seen any number of members here post their own results of searchs for "search engines" and "mapping services", etc. etc.
All I ever hear from your side of this argument is "but, because they're so damned big, they could manipulate the market, and we mustn't allow them to be able to do that"... but oddly enough you seem happy for others to manipulate the market to suit what you think it should look like... even when the only grounds they have for that manipulation is that Google are seemingly providing those they serve with services which they apparently like.