With Yahoo search deal, Oracle's Ellison on Google -- again

Microsoft isn't the only huge software maker alarmed at what Google's technology is doing to growth rates in the business-applications market. The long-running copyright lawsuit between Google and Oracle over the latter's Java programming language, now under review by the US Supreme Court, is evidence of that. In May, Oracle also sent a notice to Java users discouraging them from using Google's Chrome web browser. "We strongly recommend Java users consider alternatives to Chrome as soon as possible. Instead, we recommend Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari as longer-term options," the notice reads, after one tries to update his/her version of Java from within Chrome. That advice came after Google moved to end Chrome's interoperability with a standardized application programming interface, or API, used by Java.

Now Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has attacked Google's business again, this time by pointing Java users to Yahoo's search tool. The Oracle marketing agreement does more than give Yahoo the chance to gain search market share on its larger rival. It also points to a tech landscape getting fiercer as the software industry matures and revenue growth rates for some older platforms continue to slow.