[chopsueyar]

Google Checkout Gadget aside, I find it interesting that this is the closest thing Google has to offer for an individual or business to build a hosted online e-commerce presence (https exceptions aside).

Compare that, in terms of functionality and revenue generation, to Yahoo! Store (Viaweb), and it seems like Google really has its priorities with App Engine askew.

Obviously, the scope of Viaweb's functionality is much, much narrower than that of GAE, but what is the purpose of GAE from Google's perspective?

Surely, it is not to create bitchfests for upset developers on tech blogs. It doesn't seem like revenue generation, nor developer satisfaction is a priority, either.