(Nov. 4, 2008) — The all-so-famous Google in today’s technological world was merely BackRub, a Stanford search engine, twelve years ago. Created by two Stanford students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google now has a stake in everything from e-mail to cellular devices. According to junior Asher Silberman, Google is obliged to spread its technological focus in order to thrive. He sees Google competing with Microsoft in the future as Microsoft attempts to spread its focus from the desktop to the Internet and as Google aims for a bigger dominance in desktop products. By launching the new Google Chrome, Google is doing just that. “It doesn’t make sense for them not to make a browser because that’s how you view the Internet,” Silberman said. But Librarian Susan Newcomer says that Google may be attempting to rival various companies, including Apple, with the launching of the new Google 1 cell phone. Newcomer says that she is in favor of the competition between Google and Microsoft. “Anything that could give Microsoft a little bit of rivalry would be a good thing because Microsoft has had too much of a monopoly in desktop and PC software,” Newcomer said. Newcomer’s favorite Google project is the Google Book search, which, according to Newcomer, digitizes books from some of the world’s biggest libraries. “The idea that all kinds of resources of the world—the libraries that you had to be a scholar with a PhD to get permission to use before—now that they would make that available over the Internet—I think it’s a fabulous idea,” Newcomer said. Meanwhile, Silberman is enjoying Google Earth. “What’s really neat about it is the layers you can do,” Silberman said. According to Silberman, one can choose a layer to place over the earth’s image, like a National Geographic layer, and research points of interests pertaining to the layer. Even with all of Google’s new programs, the original Google search engine is not being overshadowed. “They’re the first thing you go to basically,” Silberman said. Even in its original form, Newcomer favored the Google search engine with its unique algorithms that make searching more efficient. “A search engine has to contend with millions of things and try to sort through them in an effective way, and I think it does a really good job all in all,” Newcomer said. Both Newcomer and Silberman believe it is difficult to predict Google’s standing in the far future. Newcomer says that there are probably some college students right now who will create new technology that may surpass Google’s capabilities. “They’re probably dreaming up something that we haven’t even thought of that’s artificial intelligence related,” Newcomer said. By the end of this century, Google may be perceived as the premature philosophies of the Ancient Greeks are perceived today. “Maybe Google will be in there,” Newcomer said, “but maybe somebody else will eclipse them.”