Karen, from the official Google blog on the implications of the Microsoft-Yahoo! purchase:
Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft — despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses — to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo! equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors’ email, IM, and web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions — and consumers deserve satisfying answers.
A side note on Yahoo’s openess: they rely on open source software (PHP, MySQL and FreeBSD) for their infrastructure, while Microsoft is a proprietary house, thus questioning what will happen with current Yahoo technology(migration to MS crapware?).
UPDATE: Microsoft’s response. Very quick.
(Via Google Blog.)
I really don’t like the idea of Microsoft taking over Del.icio.us and Flickr. Hopefully though, this will mean the end of Windows Live Search. It’s almost as bad as Ask.com.
Comment by River Jiang — 02.04.08 @ 10:02 am
I completely agree. I really doubt that Microsoft will slash either brand, since they are practically the industry standard. Regarding Windows LIve, I actually hope that they take it out of it’s agony….lol.
Comment by Jonathan Tarud — 02.04.08 @ 12:26 pm