Microsoft Hints at Yahoo Hostile Takeover

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http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142382/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws

 

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Hi Mitz.

There was a piece on the bbc site the other day, that mentioned Rupert Murdoch's news group may make a bid for Yahoo. I will see if I can find it later.

If they do, then I can see a bidding war taking off. If Google do decide to bid, it could drive the price up and up... buy those Yahoo shares now boys and girls... heh heh..

 

All I can think of when I read the title of this thread is this.

I can't stop laughing...

 

You just gotta love Yahoo. I know very little about Yahoo, but it seems, from a blog I read the other day from a Yahoo employee, the majority of Yahoo technical employees, specifically their top developers are not happy with MS's proposals. They will quit rather than work for MS.

Seems there are quite a few people there who despise MS for its business ethics and will act on their beliefs. As Yahoo is a great supporter of open source projects many inside Yahoo believe that the MS takeover is designed to hurt open source.

I have to say it's nice to see a company with management that wants to live ethically and responsibly, and are fighting back rather than just taking the money and running.

I say, Go Yahoo.

 

I say, big surprise Freddie

 

I think you're right... they'll be hiding behind the 'save our open source' banner until M$ up their bid to something approaching the $40 a share they reckon they're worth...

 

Here is a post from a Yahoo insider, a technical worker, possibly a developer. His own words describe real problems in the deal that probably make it an unworkable deal in the long run as Yahoo will probably be gutted as far as talent goes. The talent will leave of its own accord if MS ever takes control of Yahoo.

The article and all comments made in response to it can be found at the following link. http://www.techyouruniverse.com/technology/yahoos-wont-work-for-microsoft

 

Yeah, well there are still a few people around who have the desire not to work for and support unethical organizations. My principles are worth more than money to me. If yours aren't well that's your business, not mine. I just get a kick out of how sarcastic you get because of my principles and willingness to live by them.

 

Freddie,

Take no offense to Zeb - he was only joking....

 

Freddie, this is getting tiresome. You are equally as sarcastic, if not more so, in many of your posts. Indeed, many of your posts - both as OP and responder are little more than rants or rails against Microsoft in general.

I won't comment overmuch on MS's proposed takeover (hostile or otherwise) of Yahoo. I will say, however, that Yahoo are not exactly the knights in shining armour that people like the blogger in the post above are trying to make them out to be.

Anyone remember eGroups? That used to rule before Yahoo took it over, stripped it of all its functionality and community feel and killed it stone dead.

Yahoo Mail? I had a Yahoo mail account once that got rinsed with spam far quicker than any Hotmail account. I created a new account and within days it was receiving spam despite my never having used it. Just for kicks, I went ahead and created five fresh accounts as part of a spam collecting project I was undertaking at the time - within a month all five accounts were attracting more than 10 spam mails per day - despite having never been used (for anything - not even sending a mail to another known email address - they had literally never been used).

Yahoo Messenger? Absolutely dreadful - makes AIM look good. Worst. IM. Client. Ever

The Yahoo toolbar? Interesting EULA for a company that is 'not evil':

"...Yahoo! reserves the right to charge fees for future use of or access to the Yahoo! Software in Yahoo!'s sole discretion...."

"Yahoo! collects information regarding your use of the features on the Yahoo! Toolbar. From time to time, some menu item buttons may be used to advertise or promote products and services...."

"The Yahoo! Toolbar contains a search box that returns search results pages in response to queries that you may enter. All queries that are submitted by you through the search box are transmitted to and collected by Yahoo!. Search results pages will often contain advertising in the form of sponsored search results, banner advertisements or other promotions. Advertising shown to you on the search results pages may be related to the search query you entered...."

Hmmmm... Looks like a Microsoft EULA!

How about providing repressive regimes with information that leads directly to the arrest and incarceration of those critical of said regime? Sound 'not evil' to most casual observers?

How about having a 'safe search' feature in their image search, (designed to give parents peace of mind when allowing their kids on the internet) which, when enabled, still brings up sexually explicit images?

Now I'm not saying Microsoft isn't 'evil'. I've said before that ALL large corporations HAVE to be 'evil' to succeed in the rampantly capitalist free market economy that pervades in the world today. However, Yahoo can't have it both ways. Trying to make themselves out to be like Google (equally guilty of being 'evil') is a pointless exercise anyway. The blogger who posted the above is either naive or just dumb - just because Yahoo has a few smart folks working for them and doesn't have software that people are interested in buying doesn't mean that they are some special case and can't be acquired by a competitor!

 

This would explain why I've never been fond of Yahoo without realzing why.

Love ya Freddy!

 

Shhh, dude! The last time I pointed out Freddie's Microsoft hatred, I got an infraction!

 

You do know you can get cream to sort that out, don't you?

 

omg you are funny giddy.

 

I tried, man, but the wound is still there!

 

Key reason #1 - Microsoft is anti open-source, Yahoo! utilizes open source technologies extensively.

correction: ms are not anti open-source, they actually have open-source projects, & they provide a lot of stuff via codeplex.

wheres the yahoo search for small sites, or mapping tools?


it dosnt matter if something is open-source or not, if it works it works

 

Oh, that wound? Oh yeah... that'll be from the bowling ball the little guy let slip 'accidentally'...

 

Looks like Microsoft are upping the stakes still further...

...and if you look to the right on the same page you'll see the piece about AOL possibly making an approach for Yahoo as well...