The "Google Pack" software bundle will include third-party apps such as the Firefox browser, Adobe Reader, Norton AntiVirus, and six of Google's own programs, including Desktop Search and the Picasa image management tool.
Quote:
Jan 6, 2006 09:48 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google Inc. is distributing a free software startup kit designed to make computing safer and easier - a generous gesture driven by the company's desire to steer technology offline as well as online.
The software bundle, unveiled Friday in Las Vegas during a speech by Google co-founder Larry Page, represents the Internet search engine leader's latest jab at industry kingpin Microsoft Corp.
The suite of programs is designed to make it easier to install and maintain basic applications that have helped turn the PC into a hub of information, entertainment and communications.
With the initiative, Google is setting out to prove that it is better positioned to help people get the most out of their computers than more-established software makers, particularly Microsoft - the maker of the pervasive Windows operating system. "We thought, 'Why can't using a computer be more fun, simple and empowering?'" said Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products and user experience.
Six of the programs in the package are owned by Google, which had previously offered all but one on a piecemeal basis. A screensaver that automatically displays pictures stored on a personal computer is being introduced for the first time as part of the "Google Pack."
With the exception of a Norton antivirus program
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