NationStates Jolt Archive

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080204/bs_afp/usitcompanytakeovermicrosoftyahoo Microsoft urges Yahoo to accept 'generous' takeover offer

Mon Feb 4, NEW YORK (AFP) - Yahoo remained coy on Monday as Microsoft publicly touted the virtues of its 44.6-billion-dollar bid to take over the Internet firm and Google maneuvered behind the scenes to thwart it.

"We think it's a generous one," said Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, speaking Monday at the US firm's annual conference with analysts in New York City.

The offer represents a tempting 62 percent premium on Yahoo's closing share price Thursday.

"We trust the Yahoo board and the Yahoo shareholders will join with us quickly in deciding to move down an integrated path," Ballmer said.

Meanwhile, Google on Sunday condemned Microsoft's effort as an attack on the very independence of the Internet.WoW 62%

They really want this bad.
I dont think Yahoo can resist.

All your Internets are belong to us :D

*Nothing to see here, move along... You were warned by the ## marker...*

*Nothing to see here, move along... You were warned by the ## marker...*

*Nothing to see here, move along... You were warned by the ## marker...*

*Nothing to see here, move along... You were warned by the ## marker...*

repeats endlessly...
:p

ancient Chinese proverb:

if yahoo vanished off the face of the Earth would anyone notice?

I hope they resist. One less player would be bad for competition (obviously), but more importantly for me at least is that Microsoft would quickly put an end to Yahoo's involvement in open source, such as Zimbra and their sponsoring of Apache, both of which are competing against Microsoft's products.

I hope they resist. One less player would be bad for competition (obviously), but more importantly for me at least is that Microsoft would quickly put an end to Yahoo's involvement in open source, such as Zimbra and their sponsoring of Apache, both of which are competing against Microsoft's products.

Which is undoubtedly a factor in Microsoft wanting to buy them out

Does anyone still use Yahoo as a search engine? Or for anything at all besides fantasy football and spam email accounts.

Oh, wait, I forgot, you use Yahoo for all of your news sources.

Does anyone still use Yahoo as a search engine? Or for anything at all besides fantasy football and spam email accounts.

Oh, wait, I forgot, you use Yahoo for all of your news sources.

I just bought something from a yahoo shop vendor ... do not often but it was hard to find elsewhere

The next question is what does Microsoft not own.

44.6 BILLION!? For something that nobody needs?:rolleyes:

44.6 BILLION!? For something that nobody needs?:rolleyes:

Well, Microsoft obviously feel that they need them. Or need something. How else are they going to beat Google, when they can't do it on their own?

44.6 BILLION!? For something that nobody needs?:rolleyes:

OD needs it, where else would he get his news? :rolleyes:

I don't know what they can do next, actually. Remember when they bought hotmail, and tried to convert all their shit to MS servers and it was a total disaster? Them trying to integrate Yahoo will be that disaster x 1000.

If they want to get into another business, why don't they buy Sun? Then they get into the high end server market, get control of one of the top Unixes, and get control of Java which means they'll control both major language runtimes in CLR/.NET and the JVM -- almost all enterprise development would be under their control, they get further into the hardware business, and it's probably about the same or a little less than Yahoo to buy.

*grumbles*

Micro$0ft is t3h ebil.

I seriously hope Yahoo! has the wisdom and honor not to deal with the devil.

I don't know what they can do next, actually. Remember when they bought hotmail, and tried to convert all their shit to MS servers and it was a total disaster? Them trying to integrate Yahoo will be that disaster x 1000.

If they want to get into another business, why don't they buy Sun? Then they get into the high end server market, get control of one of the top Unixes, and get control of Java which means they'll control both major language runtimes in CLR/.NET and the JVM -- almost all enterprise development would be under their control, they get further into the hardware business, and it's probably about the same or a little less than Yahoo to buy.Compare Sun's and Microsoft's standing on open source, and you will see why this is highly unlikely.

Compare Sun's and Microsoft's standing on open source, and you will see why this is highly unlikely.

If Microsoft and Sun representatives met, would they annihilate each other in a massive release of lawsuits? :p

If Microsoft and Sun representatives met, would they annihilate each other in a massive release of lawsuits? :pI wouldn't complain if it happened.

Translation: Open source software is kicking our ass. We must "embrace and extend" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish) it.

They've been trying for years, and now they have the chance of buying Google's nearest competitor in the search engine market. Don't ever forget the Halloween documents (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_Documents), and don't ever trust the Borg (www.microsoft.com)

*grumbles*

Micro$0ft is t3h ebil.
You seem to be confusing Microsoft, the OS giant that got where it is today by providing a fairly good product to people at a somewhat reasonable price which is compatible with most software on the market, with the bad guys from Captain Planet cartoons and the Umbrella Corporation.

Real companies don't steal oil tankers and then crash them into beaches to teach the local wildlife a lesson in complacency, they sell the oil and avoid the beating from a blue-skinned propaganda machine in short red pants. Real companies don't kill their own staff, create a giant horde of zombies, get whole cities nuked, or build bioweapons research plants under playgrounds.

Real companies provide services and products in return for money and when they have enough they sometimes try to expand. I used to buy the hype about Microsoft and I'll admit that sometimes they're real assholes but a lot of people go after them and paint a worse than real picture because they're the biggest and most successful at doing what software companies do best. Gates and the founders saw an chance to make some money and took it and have since just managed their money really well and gotten lucky more than a few times. It's kind of like winning the lottery and then all of your neighbors hate you for it.

It's kind of like winning the lottery and then all of your neighbors hate you for it.

I think a better analogy would be, it's like winning the lottery, using the money to influence the local council into enacting a Compulsory Purchase Order on the entire street, and offering to rent your neighbour's homes back to them at five times the normal market value. No wonder they'll hate your guts.

It's not like I don't like people who get rich. Hell, the person who started Ubuntu off is a somewhat philanthropic billionaire. It's what you do with the money.

To that end I find it hard to hate Gates himself. I think Ballmer is the more cold-blooded one. That guy would sell his own grandmother if he could. Developers, developers, developers, indeed.

You seem to be confusing Microsoft, the OS giant that got where it is today by providing a fairly good product to people at a somewhat reasonable price which is compatible with most software on the market, with the bad guys from Captain Planet cartoons and the Umbrella Corporation.

Real companies don't steal oil tankers and then crash them into beaches to teach the local wildlife a lesson in complacency, they sell the oil and avoid the beating from a blue-skinned propaganda machine in short red pants. Real companies don't kill their own staff, create a giant horde of zombies, get whole cities nuked, or build bioweapons research plants under playgrounds.


Stop stealing Yahtzee's thunder. You've ripped off his lines almost word for word.


Real companies provide services and products in return for money and when they have enough they sometimes try to expand.

Then Microsoft isn't a real company. Looking at the list of complaints against it, Microsoft has a trend of not making it's own software, but stealing it from other people and selling it as their own and then settling out of court when they get sued. Not only that, they've been accused, and have been found of, modifying their OS's so that competitive software won't run on it.

They don't provide services. They restrict them.

Does anyone still use Yahoo as a search engine? Or for anything at all besides fantasy football and spam email accounts.

Oh, wait, I forgot, you use Yahoo for all of your news sources.yes I do.
I have one week to come up with 44.7 Billion. :D

yes I do.
I have one week to come up with 44.7 Billion. :D

Just auction off the rights to the ## template. That should get you close.

neva. My precious is not for sale.

*kisses YahooNEWS goodbye* :fluffle:

YahooNEWS will still be there, it will just become Microsoft Windows Live Yahoo Windows NEWS

Just auction off the rights to the ## template. That should get you close.Yeah I could get some 44 Billion for my franchise logo.

But the question is...
What is more valuable to me:

1. My only Source of News, my connection to the World (Yahoo Corp)
or
2. My soul-tag? (##)

Its a difficult decision with lifetime consequences, What should I do?
What would you do if you had to choose?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/05/google.googlethemedia

Google has thrown a lifeline to its floundering rival Yahoo by proposing a partnership between the two internet search sites as a way to escape Microsoft's $44.6bn (£23bn) hostile takeover bid.

Seems like Google is intent on upsetting this latest development.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/05/google.googlethemedia

Seems like Google is intent on upsetting this latest development.yes, but can they?