Google aquired EtherPad and remembered about SaaS reputation

So, the online service for real-time document collaboration, EtherPad, created by ex-Googlers, now goes back home where it was born - to Google. The goal of this purchase - is to utilize some EtherPad technologies in Google Wave and attract talents back to the company to work on the project, which will change the world. Yesterday, as soon as the deal was finalized, EtherPad developers (probably prompted by the new owners) posted to their blog, that the service wouldn't allow to create new accounts and documents any more and on March 31 EtherPad will be closed. Of course, the users were disappointed with this decision (see the comments). And after that Google remembered about one thing, that is more important for them than this new purchase - the trust in SaaS.

Because Google's strategy - is to attract people and businesses to the Internet and to increase the advertising budgets. SaaS - is a major focus of this strategy. But if businesses will be afraid to use SaaS services because Google can buy and close them, then Google will lose. So, today the new plan appeared in the EtherPad blog. The users will be able to create new documents, and the service will not be closed until the new owners publish its source code, so that customers could install it in-house.

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