Forbes magazine has released its latest Forbes 500 list of the wealthiest people in the United States and guess who’s back on top? Yep, it’s Bill Gates.

Interestingly, TechCrunch has distilled the list into the richest people in technology. Topping the list is, of course, Bill Gates, while the second richest person in technology - and the third richest overall - is Larry Ellison. (Are we back in the 90s or what?)

Seven of the richest people in technology are also among the richest 20 individuals overall.

Here’s the top ten:

1. Bill Gates (Microsoft): $57 billion
2. Larry Ellison (Oracle): $27 billion
3. Michael Dell (Dell): $17.3 billion
4. Paul Allen (Microsoft): $16 billion
5. Sergey Brin (Google): $15.9 billion
6. Larry Page (Google): $15.8 billion
7. Steve Ballmer (Microsoft): $15 billion
8. Jeff Bezos (Amazon): $8.7 billion
9. Rupert Murdoch (News Corp.): $6.8 billion
10. Pierre Omidyar (eBay): $6.3 billion

Source: Don Reisinger, “Who Are the Richest People In Tech?”, TechCrunch, September 18, 2008

Microsoft could be forgiven for being a little worried. Google Chrome is not just a web browser to take on Internet Explorer; it’s also the first iteration of an operating system to take on Windows/Vista. Or, as Google co-founder Sergey Brin has clearly indicated, it may actually displace the operating system altogether…

“I think operating systems are kind of an old way to think of the world,” Mr Brin said after the news conference at Google’s Mountain View, California headquarters, “They have become kind of bulky, they have to do lots and lots of different (legacy) things.”

Google’s view is that any task done in a standalone desktop computer application can be delivered via the web, ideally via Chrome.

Okay, so Microsoft may be worried. But what about us? Should we also be a little worried?Googleis fast becoming omni-presentand omnipotent.

I can’t really complain because it’s delivering real value. Actually, a lot of the stuff I love (e.g. Google Analytics, Google Earth, etc) is totally free. But I’m a big believer that, ultimately, healthy competition brings about the most innovation and the very best quality and value for consumers. Google has set - and continues to set - the bar high. Let’s hope it stays that way… and that some legitimate contenders do eventually emerge.

As for Google Chrome itself… it’s pretty cool. Quick and easy to install… nice, minimalist interface… copied my Firefox bookmarks within seconds… keeps track of my most visited websites… and browsing is FAST. I like it a lot.

==> Click here to download Google Chrome

Source: Reuters, “Google sees new browser displacing desktop software”, Yahoo Finance, September 2, 2008

Yesterday, Yahoo owned Del.icio.us - or simply “Delicious” - relaunched with a complete revamp of its features and design.

Yahoo, which bought the site in 2005, has been promising to upgrade Delicious for the last year or so. Now, finally, the service has been renewed with a cleaner design and enhanced social features, speed, and search capabilities.

Del.icio.us can now also be accessed at delicious.com, which will become its standard URL.

Sources: Frederic Lardinois, “Delicious Finally Launches Version 2.0: Easier, Prettier, Faster”, Read Write Web, July 31, 2008, Delicious: http://www.delicious.com

Word is that Google plans to launch a venture capital (VC) fund to allow the company to invest in startups.

Google has traditionally bought startups and other companies it wanted and integrated them into the Google fold. Presumably its new VC fund will allow Google to invest in companies it’s not sure about, or companies it doesn’t want to wholly subsume for financial, marketing, cultural or legal reasons. I’m just guessing of course.

The fund will be managed by David Drummond, Google’s senior vice president of corporate development, and Bill Maris, a tech entrepreneur and old business friend of Anne Wojcicki, Google founder Sergey Brin’s wife.

So maybe you have a fledgling company Google might want to invest in?

Sources: Michael Arrington, “Google To Launch Venture Fund”, Tech Crunch, July 30, 2008