Yahoo! vs Microsoft

So, what do you guys have to say about the recent talks about the Yahoo vs Microsoft thing? First the falling value of Yahoo! shares, then Microsoft offering to takeover Yahoo!, then Yahoo! demanding some time to think over the issue, then MS issuing an ultimatum for the deal, then Google entering the plot by apparently offering to partner with Yahoo! to fend off the deal, and finally New Corp. offering to take stake in Yahoo! too.

Re MS wanting to buy Yahoo.

Couple of points.

From my perspective, MS is trying to shore up its grip on the computer world. Only, it is a gamble borne more out of a underlying sense of impending doom than of one based on sound investment.

And MS has good reason to be deeply concerned over its own future.

With Google and Apple working virtually hand in glove as a defacto IT conglomerate, they will have virtually stitched up the entire future of interactive net / home  / entertainment.

This is where the future lies, and MS are desperately fishing around in an attempt to not be caught with their pants down...(yet again)..

Unfortunately, for MS, they have two major hurdles to overcome.

(1) Yahoo's board isn't likely to play ball...because they consider the takeover as being 'hostile'

(2) Ms is already in deep sh*t over previous monopoly battles that have been fought across the length and breadth of the globe.

The last thing they want is to have the monopoly board breathing fire down their necks...yet again..

(and you will note that the European court of justice and trade just dished out a $ 1 Billion & a half fine to MS for its previous monopolistic behaviour..)

So looking into my crystal ball, here is what I see in the next 10 years,

(1) Google buys Apple or merges with it.

(2) MS released Vista update 321.444d to iron out the previous weeks' bugs..

(3) Yahoo go in solvency court and get sold to the eBay/Amazon conglomerate.

Cheers

Aqua

Very well prophesied, Aqua, very well. What you say could indeed be the future. But, I think, one thing is for sure, the existence of MS could be thwarted only by a new (to-be-born) company, and not any of the existing ones. (It would be the same as to what Apple did to IBM and later MS did to Apple )

 

Aqua,

Man I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I got to the end. I started off reading that, and agree with almost everything you have said.
But usually as you are reading a short story  such as that, you kinda of start to imagine how the ending is going to go. And when I got to
your ending, I am still laughing as I am typing this.

MS is only starting to see their share of some of the trouble you can get yourself into. And I think they have someone coming at them from
every angle. If it's not linux, apple, google, the majority of europe, and a few others. That there really is no point in mentioning, cause they have
always fought the fight. Ahhh what the hell, IBM (although not sure about their recent deals) Red Hat, and Mandriva. And man if there was ever
a celebrity boxing match, I would love to see Mandriva pounce on MS.

And I have already posted my prediction in another post. But I'll spare you guys that far fetched story. It just ends up with MS running linux, as a
base, with windows on top of it.

We will have to see.

Here's my opinion, for the little it's worth.  It's based, of course, on nothing more than rumor, some comments in various Linux forums (surely not at all biased) and an occasional slanted story from the Inquirer (http://www.theinquirer.net/).

So . . . I think Microsoft is ever so slowly slipping away from the desktop software market.  There's an awful lot of money to be made in other areas, probably a lot more than by continuing to sell a highly overrated substandard operating system.  Bill Gates' brilliance never was in coding software.  His genius is in marketing and strong-arm business practices.

Sometime in the not too distant future look for Windows to go away at last.  It will be replaced with Linux, Apple or any of several competing operating systems that we haven't even heard of yet.

But if you're a fan of Bill's, don't be discouraged.  MS will be "operating" your car (Ford), supplying Richard Branson with space going gear, keeping your refrigerator at the  optimum temp for your favorite brew (until  software crash time, or expiration of brew sell-by date - whichever occurs first),  and probably insuring your blender or toaster sorts your email properly.  We can all look forward to the day when our toilets, loos, and WCs have a Windows logo in the lower left hand corner of the privy door.  And I'm sure there will be a license fee for body function relief.  The future with MS will be wonderful!

Galjaman

Galjaman

As they say...

'Very tongue in cheek'

I appreciate your humour...

....

Aqua

Here's my opinion, for the little it's worth.  It's based, of course, on nothing more than rumor, some comments in various Linux forums (surely not at all biased) and an occasional slanted story from the Inquirer (http://www.theinquirer.net/).

So . . . I think Microsoft is ever so slowly slipping away from the desktop software market.  There's an awful lot of money to be made in other areas, probably a lot more than by continuing to sell a highly overrated substandard operating system.  Bill Gates' brilliance never was in coding software.  His genius is in marketing and strong-arm business practices.

Sometime in the not too distant future look for Windows to go away at last.  It will be replaced with Linux, Apple or any of several competing operating systems that we haven't even heard of yet.

But if you're a fan of Bill's, don't be discouraged.  MS will be "operating" your car (Ford), supplying Richard Branson with space going gear, keeping your refrigerator at the  optimum temp for your favorite brew (until  software crash time, or expiration of brew sell-by date - whichever occurs first),  and probably insuring your blender or toaster sorts your email properly.  We can all look forward to the day when our toilets, loos, and WCs have a Windows logo in the lower left hand corner of the privy door.  And I'm sure there will be a license fee for body function relief.  The future with MS will be wonderful!

Galjaman

I appreciate this story too. 

Nice, very nice, again I find myself laughing and enjoyed it.

I do disagree with one statement though, and just curious what you guys think

Bill Gates' brilliance never was in coding software.

I think he was brilliant especially in his early days. And I do firmly believe you can make windows secure. But in this statement

 

His genius is in marketing

He was, and will always be willing to give up security for sales. Which allows for this statement.

strong-arm business practices

But in your humor, I think you are extremely accurate in what you have said. And you can say it with a smile, because I don't think
anyone in linux is going to take that approach to marketing. 

Chris

Ahh, Chris.  Allow me a little leeway for exaggeration.  There's no doubt he was really a great coder in the early days.  But he gave that up, what, about 12 years ago?  Probably we could say too that he was an absolutely brilliant salesman too because he made people believe he had the best product (which it was at that time) and that everyone needed at least one PC in their home and one or more in their office.

It's the in your face, "our way or no way" attitude the company took after its initial successes that has ruffled a lot of feathers.  We all know there ARE other, and better ways.  It's the business plan that has made Bill the richest man in the world and has left Windows on about 93% of the world's computers.  You may not like it, but you have to respect the accomplishment,in much the same way ancient Romans would have to respect Attila the Hun.

No.  I'm not comparing Bill to Attila.  Just their business plans.  I don't think Attila ever gave anything to charity, unless you consider his harem a charitable function.  Attila wasn't 100% bad you know.  Whether or not those numerous wives actually enjoyed Attila's attentions is a matter for historians with more prurient interests than mine.  Unless, of course, the Hun left me something in his will.  I don't think he did.

Galjaman

 Bill Gate's was just at the right place, at the right time.... that, and political celebrities who hold MS stock
 I don't care who wins this in the end... as long as it's not Bill. I don't care much for Yahoo... never did. As far as that business goes... I use Google (who is also friend to the open source community) "for now"

 But I like the little guys too... like www.dogpile.com They combine the entire enchilada

Bill Gate's was just at the right place, at the right time.... that, and political celebrities who hold MS stock
 I don't care who wins this in the end... as long as it's not Bill. I don't care much for Yahoo... never did. As far as that business goes... I use Google (who is also friend to the open source community) "for now"

 But I like the little guys too... like www.dogpile.com They combine the entire enchilada

It seems to be a nifty search engine , anyway.

That dogpile is one cool search engine.  I just added it to the Firefox browser.  I may even make it my primary search tool.  Fast, and without all the clutter of Google.

Galjaman

Believe me I agree with all of you. But I still do believe that in his early days he knew what he was doing from a coding standpoint.

But then there are several ripoffs that soon came, and security soon went. And Bill's pockets got really, really fat, sooner than later.

galjaman is right in saying that his business practices leave a lot to be desired. And my thought to that, is he could have gone several
different ways, but still choose the path he took. Once he hit the richest man on earth, he could have let up a little. Opened some things
up, things that they still will not truly open up today. Look at the open document standard. And why is that still going on, and not in
place as the new standard. We may never know. 

Chrisz,

Not wanting to open up a can of worms here, but if you ever get a chance to see the film..."Pirates of Silicon Valley"...you'll understand why Bill was considered a clever pirate (thief) (and some would also say...an opportunistic liar..too boot)

In the end, he outsmarted Jobs by pandering to the guys' meglomaniac ego and virtually stole the GUI-OS from right under his nose.

You can watch it here if you like...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1552555273778978142

Cheers

Aqua..

PS : Just for the record, I really can't stand Jobs either...

Yep, I've seen the whole film - Pirates of The Siliicon Valley, and I was rather impressed by the Gates vs Jobs rivalry. 

I can watch that film 99 more times, really.