And while Google is paying for the scanning, it seems like more organizations than just Google should be involved in making the books available. Google has offered that concession, but I am still concerned. I would prefer to see an independent, not-for-profit or even a group of private businesses doing the scanning, not just a single company.

Further, the settlement has far reaching consequences and could be seen as giving Google too much protection for too long a time. If circumstances change, the settlement may not.

The jury is still out on how the "don't be evil" Google ethos will play out over time. The company is still grappling with having what amounts to a single revenue source, selling advertising, and hasn't managed to break from it.

While Google has released interesting technologies and is working on more, none have caught fire with customers. Granted, many are early in the evolution of their markets, such Google Docs and Chrome OS.

There are many potential big wins ahead of Google, but so far--and they've been at it for more than a decade--only search has become a hit. That isn't meant as a criticism so much as an observation, but, my, how time flies!