Everyone loves cutting down the guy on top. I heard that originally in a country song, but it came to mind in recent news due to an article I read about Google and DuckDuckGo. Of course I'm not advocating for Google, in fact, there are many things they could do (and should do) differently, and I absolutely believe the future looks very different for Google and every other current tech monopoly (but that's another post for another day). Instead I want to just quickly point out that when someone's doing well, everyone else tends to seek out fault a little bit more intently. And another adage which also seems to come into play is the old saying regarding "kicking someone when they're down."

In case you've missed the news, Google was recently hit with a massive $5BN fine by the EC for anti-trust practices. I'm not weighing in on that discussion. Regardless of how big the company is that is a heavy fine.

But just because they're getting hit with something heavy doesn't mean everyone should pile on with every complaint they can dredge up. DuckDuckGo should demonstrate a bit more discretion in this case.

Reading the article caused me to go visit the website in question and I have to admit I was a bit surprised by what I saw.

That's right, Google not only gives a full explanation for the domain name provenance (not required), but also provides extra links (extra mile), offers alternative advice (helpful), points to the competition directly (generous), and even sprinkles in a bonus link (humor).

Come on, let's all have a little respect here. Even if we don't agree with everything Google does; there's a point where we should appreciate what they do...when they are under no obligation to do so.