It looks like the Google v China battle is not going to end with these powerhouses playing nice. So the country with the most Internet users will no longer access Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Google. This splintering of the so-called "www" is developing into a cyber cold-war.
A little discussed angle is that Google is more than a search engine. Google provides tremendous development leadership and api's for web-enabling technologies such as maps, messaging, calendars, productive tools and more.
Web developers are mashing up a number of technologies components, and many of the building blocks are based on Google's technology. Yes, there are other alternatives to Google, namely Yahoo! and Microsoft. However, losing access to the most powerful and important web tool developer is going to create some interesting challenges for Chinese developers. For Chinese Internet companies using Google maps, calendars, and other Google api's, these api's are going to break as Google becomes a banned site in China. Yahoo!, Microsoft and Baidu are going to see a flood of new customers who are needing to migrate off Google technologies and hook in with these China approved web companies.
It is difficult to say who is right or wrong in this conflict. Google is certainly taking a brave and expensive stance on the matter, and China is sticking to their guns. March 2010 may go down in history as the demarcation point from which we ceased to have one "www". There likely will be a digital Berlin wall moment down the line, but for the time being the Great Firewall is getting longer and higher.
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