Last night, Microsoft announced its new tabletop computer. Now, I know that the world is moving into a more collaborative place and I know this would be a fantastic tool in our classrooms. But there is no way in hell that I would want one of these (even if the price came down from the projected $5-10,000 ticket).

Yeah, it’s cool as a kiosk…but…it also means that I have to share desktop space with others. Ick. My desktop is private and I like it that way. Don’t be looking over my shoulder and don’t be trying to move my computer to see what is on it. That is just so invasive.

What this really made me think about, though, is that whenever Microsoft comes out with something new, I wrinkle my nose at it: Vista, Zune, tabletop computer. I wonder why.

When Google comes out with something new, I get excited. Something innovative is coming and my fingers almost itch to try it out.

But I know why. Microsoft has milked us for billions of dollars. They have locked things down so tight that it’s hard to share the software between your own computers. They have violated antitrust and, in so many ways, our trust.

Google, on the other hand, while being investigated by the DOJ, has tried to be as transparent as possible in a very secretive world. They induce their employees to spend time working on pet projects. Their software is, mostly, free. We can all use it without having to pay out the nose for it. We can work collaboratively over thousands of miles and not lose our shirts on the cost.

I like that. I like a world when there really are still things for free and people are happy to share them. Sure, they have their ads — and those make a lot of money for them. But the software doesn’t cost me and the upgrades are painless — because it’s all done online.

It doesn’t happen often and I celebrate Google for their innovative practices. We need more of that kind of insight in today’s world.