Comments on: Non-obvious winners and losers in Microsoft Yahoo Deal http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/ Turning Data into Knowledge Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:12:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tony E. http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-26094 Tony E. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:52:59 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-26094 I'd say that Microsoft ended up with egg on its face Saturday... I get the feeling that the "bid" existed mostly as a way to pressure Google to make its own proposal, but Google didn't take the bait. I’d say that Microsoft ended up with egg on its face Saturday… I get the feeling that the “bid” existed mostly as a way to pressure Google to make its own proposal, but Google didn’t take the bait.

]]> By: Tristan Louis http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25748 Tristan Louis Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:25:43 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25748 tonza and Like: Remember that Google already owns about 5% of AOL and that AOL has a lot of online brands. It's more about reach and ad inventory than actual technology, as far as I see it. tonza and Like: Remember that Google already owns about 5% of AOL and that AOL has a lot of online brands. It’s more about reach and ad inventory than actual technology, as far as I see it.

]]> By: Tristan Louis http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25747 Tristan Louis Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:23:59 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25747 Myles: Microsoft has spent a lot of money across all their online properties so I think this move could actually get them to rethink and refocus a number of their initiatives... Myles: Microsoft has spent a lot of money across all their online properties so I think this move could actually get them to rethink and refocus a number of their initiatives…

]]> By: Luke http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25734 Luke Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:32:24 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25734 Can you point me to one good reason why Google would buy AOL. Google has a track record of acquiring other companies. I'll give you that. But they've always done it to gain useful technology that they couldn't easily recreate in-house. What technology does AOL have that Google would be interested in? Can you point me to one good reason why Google would buy AOL. Google has a track record of acquiring other companies. I’ll give you that. But they’ve always done it to gain useful technology that they couldn’t easily recreate in-house. What technology does AOL have that Google would be interested in?

]]> By: João http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25631 João Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:41:55 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25631 Fred & Tristan: Interesting idea, that of moving to a Unix Core OS... Ever since I switched to the Mac, back in the 10.2 / 9.2.2 "Classic" days (Now I'm running Leopard but I'll still keep a Tiger partition to play some old games, since I'm still stuck with a PowerPC ;) ), I've been asking myself if it wouldn't be wiser for them to outright buy a Unix distribution and develop a sandboxed DOS/Win9x/NT mode... After all, Vista broke a lot of apps and peripherals anyway, and Apple, being the tiny midget company it is in comparison, managed to do the exact same thing in but a few years. Sure, if Microsoft did that, it would break backwards compatibility, big time. But if they managed to make a phased transition from 9x to NT, why couldn't they try the same with Unix (or a Unix-ish OS of some sort)? Just to stick it to the world and prove they can[not] write an OS of their own? :P Fred & Tristan: Interesting idea, that of moving to a Unix Core OS… Ever since I switched to the Mac, back in the 10.2 / 9.2.2 “Classic” days (Now I’m running Leopard but I’ll still keep a Tiger partition to play some old games, since I’m still stuck with a PowerPC ;) ), I’ve been asking myself if it wouldn’t be wiser for them to outright buy a Unix distribution and develop a sandboxed DOS/Win9x/NT mode… After all, Vista broke a lot of apps and peripherals anyway, and Apple, being the tiny midget company it is in comparison, managed to do the exact same thing in but a few years.

Sure, if Microsoft did that, it would break backwards compatibility, big time. But if they managed to make a phased transition from 9x to NT, why couldn’t they try the same with Unix (or a Unix-ish OS of some sort)? Just to stick it to the world and prove they can[not] write an OS of their own? :P

]]> By: tonza http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25623 tonza Sat, 02 Feb 2008 10:50:56 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25623 I agree with Mitch, and I'll go a step further daringly and say that because Apple have a technical stake in AOL (it's the underlying service that drives Apple's iChat infrastructure) then if anyone ought to acquire AOL, it should be Apple. (But Google acquiring AOL ought to be interesting and useful for Apple, too, since I would imagine that Apple and Google have been technology-sharing and collaborating for a good while now!) My 5 cents. I agree with Mitch,

and I’ll go a step further daringly and say that because Apple have a technical stake in AOL (it’s the underlying service that drives Apple’s iChat infrastructure) then if anyone ought to acquire AOL, it should be Apple.

(But Google acquiring AOL ought to be interesting and useful for Apple, too, since I would imagine that Apple and Google have been technology-sharing and collaborating for a good while now!)

My 5 cents.

]]> By: Myles Eftos http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25608 Myles Eftos Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:40:18 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25608 Yeah, don't hold your breath for OpenID - Microsoft has pumped to much in to Windows Live ID, that I doubt they would drop it for a technology that is so young. Yeah, don’t hold your breath for OpenID — Microsoft has pumped to much in to Windows Live ID, that I doubt they would drop it for a technology that is so young.

]]> By: Tristan Louis http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25601 Tristan Louis Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:42:30 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25601 Mitch: Google already owns 5% of AOL so they'd buy the rest. It's more about eyeballs than anything. Mitch: Google already owns 5% of AOL so they’d buy the rest. It’s more about eyeballs than anything.

]]> By: Tristan Louis http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25600 Tristan Louis Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:41:47 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25600 Fred: the next version of IE can pass the ACID test (there was something on their blog not too long ago). However, I wouldn't hold my breath for them moving to a Unix Core OS :) Fred: the next version of IE can pass the ACID test (there was something on their blog not too long ago). However, I wouldn’t hold my breath for them moving to a Unix Core OS :)

]]> By: Mitch http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25598 Mitch Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:15:31 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25598 Google buy AOL?? What are you nuts? There is no way Google would buy AOL - Aol has horrible technology / user experience. Google has nothing to be scared of. If Microsoft buys Yahoo!, there will be a huge window of opportunity for Google to widen its' lead while MicroHoo! figures out 'Now What' Google buy AOL?? What are you nuts?

There is no way Google would buy AOL — Aol has horrible technology / user experience.

Google has nothing to be scared of. If Microsoft buys Yahoo!, there will be a huge window of opportunity for Google to widen its’ lead while MicroHoo! figures out ‘Now What’

]]> By: Fred Hamranhansenhansen http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25596 Fred Hamranhansenhansen Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:37:40 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25596 Will they be called Yahoo! or Microsoft? The Microsoft brand is shit, they hide it in favor of Xbox and Zune, both money-losing brands. This seems much more interesting if it leads to a Windows 7 with a Unix core OS and an IE that can pass an ACID test. Will they be called Yahoo! or Microsoft? The Microsoft brand is shit, they hide it in favor of Xbox and Zune, both money-losing brands.

This seems much more interesting if it leads to a Windows 7 with a Unix core OS and an IE that can pass an ACID test.

]]> By: João http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/comment-page-1/#comment-25589 João Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:04:36 +0000 http://www.tnl.net/blog/2008/02/01/non-obvious-winners-and-losers-in-microsoft-yahoo-deal/#comment-25589 I can't agree with you on two of the companies you mentioned: AT&T and Google. Simple: the whole Windows Media strategy has been, after all, a huge fiasco, and will stay that way in the wake of the impending AppleTV 2.0 update. There's no way on earth that AT&T will benefit from Microsoft's "expertise" in that area, IMHO... As for Google? I'm guessing they're not that afraid of Microsoft, really... And honestly, do you want me to believe that Gmail only commands a 6% marketshare? And heck, even if it actually does, this merger will, if anything, *help* them GAIN some more. I speak from experience: I dumped Microsoft Hotmail (back in the day it was still called MSN Hotmail, before this Windows Live-branding idiocy) because I just had enough of their services (also, I had recently switched to the Mac, so I was in the appropriate mindset, but I can assure you that eventually, I'd have switched to Gmail regardless)... If I was, say, a longtime Yahoo Mail user I would, mark my words, dump Microsoft even faster, and it'd be out of spite. Like me, there are many more people who are, by now, figuring the emperor never had any clothes to begin with... To me, this acquisition reeks both of a desperation move and Microsoft's trademark monopolistic tactics of the 90's combined. This time, though, with the Mac's resurgence, the Mozilla foundation chewing away at IE's marketshare and Microsoft losing billions on their entertainment ventures, History won't repeat itself, or so I hope; call it Microsoft's Swan Song, if you will... ;) I can’t agree with you on two of the companies you mentioned: AT&T and Google.

Simple: the whole Windows Media strategy has been, after all, a huge fiasco, and will stay that way in the wake of the impending AppleTV 2.0 update. There’s no way on earth that AT&T will benefit from Microsoft’s “expertise” in that area, IMHO…

As for Google? I’m guessing they’re not that afraid of Microsoft, really… And honestly, do you want me to believe that Gmail only commands a 6% marketshare? And heck, even if it actually does, this merger will, if anything, *help* them GAIN some more. I speak from experience: I dumped Microsoft Hotmail (back in the day it was still called MSN Hotmail, before this Windows Live-branding idiocy) because I just had enough of their services (also, I had recently switched to the Mac, so I was in the appropriate mindset, but I can assure you that eventually, I’d have switched to Gmail regardless)… If I was, say, a longtime Yahoo Mail user I would, mark my words, dump Microsoft even faster, and it’d be out of spite.

Like me, there are many more people who are, by now, figuring the emperor never had any clothes to begin with… To me, this acquisition reeks both of a desperation move and Microsoft’s trademark monopolistic tactics of the 90’s combined. This time, though, with the Mac’s resurgence, the Mozilla foundation chewing away at IE’s marketshare and Microsoft losing billions on their entertainment ventures, History won’t repeat itself, or so I hope; call it Microsoft’s Swan Song, if you will… ;)

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