If you’re a web developer, you’ve probably heard about Google. But what is this company, and how can you take advantage of it? Google is a US multinational technology company that specializes in artificial intelligence, search engines, computer software, and online advertising. It has been called “the most powerful company in the world,” the most valuable brand in the world, and the most valuable company in the world. Its dominance in the marketplace and its ability to collect and analyze large amounts of data have led to its emergence as a global powerhouse.
Google began in 1995 as a research project run by Larry Page, who was attending Stanford University’s computer science graduate program at the time. In 1995, Page met fellow CS student Sergey Brin and began to study how the World Wide Web links to pages. Page had conceived a system that would tell which pages are linked to which. This proved to be a success, and Google was born. But how did Google get its name? And how does it stay so high on the search engine rankings?
Google has built 11 data centres around the world, which are composed of several hundred thousand servers. Several million computers are interconnected and used to process data. The Google File System, Bigtable, and MapReduce are key components of the operation. The latter two technologies help generate higher-level data. Google’s data centres are strategically located in Asia, where the internet is most widely used. In fact, Google is the most visited website in the world.
Google has expanded its services and developed several tools and services. Its toolbar for Firefox and Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer makes it easy to access Google features even without leaving your browser. The Google Translate toolbar allows you to translate foreign language web pages, Google Trends provides a list of popular search queries, Google Video searches videos hosted on its site and provides transcript text. Other services include Google Voice, which lets you conduct a Google search on the phone. Moreover, Google Wallet enables you to send and receive money through your computer.
After the Google IPO, the company reorganized itself into a company known as Alphabet. While the core business of Google remains search, it has also expanded into mobile operating system Android, video-sharing website YouTube, and apps. Alphabet has several different subsidiaries and has dedicated organizations for its various internet interests. Sundar Pichai was named CEO of Google. In 2018, Schmidt stepped down from his role as executive chairman. He has since returned to the role of CEO.
Besides search and Google Maps, Google also has various other products. Google Labs was a section of Google where upcoming features were displayed. Google’s Android apps were originally found on the Google Market. This was rebranded as Google Play in 2012. In addition, Google Moderator was a tool for collecting input from any audience. Its tool SketchUp helped developers create 3-D models and was acquired by Trimble on June 1, 2012.