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Thoughts on Microsoft-Yahoo

Started by manalang · 9 months ago

I’ve been thinking about the proposed Yahoo-Microsoft merger since the news broke on Friday. As a closeted economist and enterprise apologist, the offer’s value really jumped off the page. Microsoft is offering $44.5 billion in cash and stock for a business that generated ... Continue reading »

13 comments

  • Carl Backstrom

    1 year ago

    Don't forget about Silverlight and Microsoft's now ability to force or strenuously recommend that it needs to be used to get full use of Yahoo and all Yahoo's properties.
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  • Jake

    1 year ago

    Interesting, do you think it would go that way? I see Microsoft keeping big Yahoo properties pretty much as is for a while.
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  • Carl Backstrom

    1 year ago

    Yeah I don't see anything changing quickly, but change it will.

    I don't see Microsoft not using a semi captive audience to push some technology on people that locks people more closely into MS products.

    It's almost like they have done it before.......almost.

    Carl
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  • Jake

    1 year ago

    Good point, I have completely written off Silverlight, but if Y! sites required it, I would comply like the sheep that I am.

    You don't think Microhoo would be good for competition with Google? I feel like they could jump over Google with the right product set. They have a lot of entrenched users who won't accept new-fangled Google stuff.

    I guess the assumption is that Google needs competition. I have trouble seeing Microsoft as evil anymore (more funny ha-ha), so you may be right.
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  • Carl Backstrom

    1 year ago

    Well I think there are more dogs in that fight, than just MS+Yahoo and Google, over Web N.N there is also a standards and framework fight.

    Adobe Air vs MS Silverlight vs Open Standards all trying to lock us into their view of technology.

    The YUI library is one of the better AJAX-RIA libraries out there and how much support for that you think that will be getting under MS.

    Flikr uses all sorts of Flash which is easily ported to AIR that will be going to Silverlight, which will suck for us Linux and Mac folks but like MS will care about that as much as Yahoo did.

    There is also IE vs Firefox vs Safari, how fast do you think the Yahoo properties will start sucking on those other browsers. Development and QA for them will be secondary, at least that's what I would do, when I know I'm getting an MS paycheck.

    Sure competition is good but when is the last time you saw MS competing fairly. I'm already past the whole everything Google does is good and the best because it's not, Google is the next MS and MS is still MS.

    I pick and choose which services I use on both anyway so as soon as I see one of the services not working the way I want I will switch to the other or find a third option. But I don't think you or me is the target audience for this.
    It's the people like my mom who have been using Yahoo since i set up her email there, she will ,most likely, never switch and will jump through whatever hoops they make her so she can still use the services she needs.

    One way or another it will be interesting.


    I'd like my 23cents change back now ;)
    reply
  • Jake

    1 year ago

    Your last point is a good one, which is what I meant by "entrenched users".

    MS isn't what it was when it took on Netscape, neither is Yahoo. Maybe it's naive, but I don't think this goes the same way either. There are too many other choices which will prevent the same type of dominance.

    I like AIR and Flash, so maybe we should breath some life back into the Apple+Adobe rumor.
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  • Jake

    1 year ago

    I forgot the overlap in widgets too, Vista Gadgets vs. Yahoo (Konfabulator) Widgets. Meh, that's so 2007.
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  • Carl Backstrom

    1 year ago

    reply
  • Jake

    1 year ago

    I know, I've read the Microhate, but I just don't see them as the evil company there were back in the late '90s. Probably naive of me.
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  • Marius Ciortea

    1 year ago

    OK so what about Yahoo not taking the money. If you believe that Microsoft might be overpaying, how would you defend Yahoo decision not to sell?
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  • Jake

    1 year ago

    @Marius: I'm out of the loop, being on vacation and all for a week, so I've no idea what's current on this drama. My take is that Ballmer and MSFT will up the ante to get the deal done. Yahoo's shareholders can't be that strong on the company's future as a separate entity. Look at how much they've lost in a year.
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  • Carl Backstrom

    1 year ago

    Telling you Silverlight is a big reason for this

    http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2008/03/05/ozzie_...
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  • Jake

    1 year ago

    @Carl: Interesting, esp in light of Jobs' rejection of Flash for the iPhone. Silverlight anyone? Weird b/c Silverlight slipped out of my consciousness after Popfly alpha launched.
    reply

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