Top 10 best and worst of Google

The highs and lows of Google's past 10 years

In the wake of the annual Google I/O conference, we've decided to take a look at the best and the worst of the Silicon Valley search company.

Google may not have the decades of history that companies like Apple, Microsoft and IBM have, but the company has risen to the highest ranks of the industry faster than just about any company in IT history.

In that short time, Google has racked up more than enough hits and misses to occupy a good-sized list. So this week we are counting down the company's best and worst moments.

BEST MOMENTS

Honourable Mention: Broadband efforts
Shaun Nichols: The case can be made that there's a considerable business interest behind Google's work to expand broadband access. After all, the more people online the more searches being run and the more eyeballs looking at ads. But motivation aside, Google's work in expanding broadband access is great for users.

The company is currently looking into a project to build a high-speed fibre-optic network and make it open to the public. The company is already in the process of selecting a US city to conduct a trial, and prospective communities are so enthusiastic that they're willing to change their names.

Google has long championed efforts for net neutrality, and is one of the top backers of the Federal Communications Commission's plan to reassign a portion of the wireless spectrum as a free public wireless broadband network.

Iain Thomson: Shaun and I argued the case on this one for quite some time. On the one hand Google's plans for a broadband network are excellent, but on the other we've seen little action and the obstacles are immense.

Google plans to build an open internet fibre backbone around America to free the US from its increasingly antiquated network infrastructure. It's going to be a long and expensive slog.

The fibre laid down in the bubble years has reached capacity and the US, and many other countries, are falling behind. While governments in South Korea, Japan and the Nordic states have invested in a faster internet backbone, the US government has abdicated this responsibility to free enterprise, so very little has been done.

If Google's plans come to fruition, the end result will be a net benefit to the country as a whole. But there are many steps in the way. The US internet market is divided between a few service providers that hate competition.

They will do everything in their power to stop this plan, and we've already seen increased lobbying and spending to support that aim. Google's plans are admirable, but I have my doubts as to its success.

5. Google Earth
Iain Thomson: Google Earth has been a lovely free benefit for many people, but the bulk of users don't explore the application's full potential.

One of the biggest bonuses of Google Earth has been to the scientific community. Satellite photos used to be very expensive to procure, but by spending on image purchasing Google has made available a scientific tool that is producing new discoveries every day.

We can now get a much more accurate take on the world's surface thanks to this simple application which was put out there for no other reason than Google fancied the idea.

It could be argued that the image of the Earth in space was the most valuable outcome of the Moon missions, and Google's sponsorship of the moves to map the Earth, the Moon and Mars typify the company's approach to data.

If Google likes something it'll make it free. This is in sharp contrast to Microsoft, which made stuff free to drive others out of business. Google has a business edge, but the Earth application shows that the company is not all about money.

Shaun Nichols: With browsers and web development platforms becoming more powerful, the days of Google Earth as a standalone piece of software may be numbered.

Google has already integrated an 'Earth' view mode into Google Maps, and it won't be long before the entire application is folded into Maps and the downloadable application is eliminated.

I don't think that's a bad thing by any stretch. While Google Maps is widely used on the web, not nearly as many people want to download and regularly use Google Earth. If the two applications are combined, a lot of people will discover some very cool content.

One of the great things about Google Earth is its highlighting of environmental features. Everything from the conservation of wetlands and forests, to the protection of endangered species and historical education campaigns are currently features of Google Earth. Expanding that information to Google Maps can only be a good thing.