But instead, the two companies announced simply that they would collaborate on work on Sun's OpenOffice.org, Java and OpenSolaris, and Google's Toolbar. Details about what exactly that will entail were vague at best, with the only nugget offered being that Sun, in the immediate future, will make Google's toolbar a standard part of the package when users download Sun's Java Runtime Environment from the server seller's Web site.

Harken back a few years to the days in the Internet when speeds faster than 56K became available. The industry began talking about true network computing and hosted applications. Nobody wanted to touch that idea because it was the brainchild of Oracle's Jim Ellison.

Since then, the Internet has reshaped itself about a dozen times. Ellison's idea works in practice, but nobody notices. There are hundreds of Application Service Providers (ASPs -- not to be confused with Microsoft's lame Active Server Pages).

Sun was a giant who has seen its market eroded by Linux and Intel powered computers. Sun's technology is hard to beat.

Then look at Google. It's a hot company and everything it does seems to turn to gold.

As the Sun and Google alliance develops, you're going to see Google develop as a portal which many people will see as an online service offering nearly everything except the access to the 'net.

Look at what it already provides:

• Content from its search, Google groups and Google news
• Email via Gmail
•  A suite of desktop tools that may eventually include OpenOffice
•  Maps
•  Froogle, the shopping service

You can see a lot more Google services at: _{http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/}

The services all sound familiar. In one form or fashion, all were offered by companies with names like CompuServe and Prodigy. Nobody remembers those companies.

Everybody knows Google. It's even evolved into a verb.

For years, Sun has been rumored to be a great takeover target. I suspected that ti would be taken over by Walmart, because of Sun's ability to deal with the new inventory chip technology. I'm counting on being wrong on that answer.

The next suitor could be Google.

Microsoft should be afraid. Very afraid.

I love competition in the marketplace. It keeps everyone on a level plalying field.

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