Ask Download Squad: Google - good or evil?

We received a lot of good comments on last week's question about what you install first on a new computer, and some clear winners were Firefox, along with firewall, antivirus and antispyware software. For this week's question, we're going to the headlines. With the launch this week of Google Talk and the company's plans to sell more stock to increase its cash horde, some members of the media declared open war on Google, branding the company the next Microsoft. As summed up by The New York Times, "Nowadays, when venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and technologists gather in Silicon Valley, they often find themselves grousing about Google, complaining about everything from a hoarding of top engineers to its treatment of partners and potential partners. The word arrogant is frequently used."

So, that's our question for this week: is Google getting too big and powerful? Is it a force for good or evil? Or is the whole argument a silly waste of time cooked up by journalists eager to find another corporate scandal to write about? Let us know! Post your answer in the Comments section below. And, if you'd like to have your question included here, send it to us using this form. We'll post one question each week.