it is now fairly well documented as to how Google is stepping up its measures to bring in additional revenues from any possible source in these times of strife. Looks like we have yet another instance of another such initiative being pushed out by Google.

At least until January 2, 2008 (well, that is the latest working copy of the page to be found on the amazing Wayback Machine), Google Apps did not have a sign-up flow that did not spare any effort to push to the paid version in your face. I believe this was the case till at least April 2008, which was the last time I had migrated a domain to Google Apps, but I don't have any real proof beyond my very unreliable memory to back up that assertion.

In its earlier avtar, users had the choice to pick the package they wanted from the landing page itself. Compare with the state of affairs now. The URL, http://www.google.com/a/ itself redirects now to http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/admins/editions_spe.html. Moreover, It takes you about four clicks to get to the free version, while the paid version of the platform is the one which is shown to you by default.

It is amusing really to see changes like these, for they are very reminiscent of a time when you would have to hunt around, leaving a long trail of clicks behind you, in trying to download the free version of Real Player or Winamp in the years closer to 2001.

I guess we can, with this, bring on yet another slew of articles that will poke fun at the 'Do No Evil' motto at $GOOG.

Recession