Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo(!!!)

Says Reuters, with a cash and stock offer of $44.6 billion. More like “Yowza!”

Microsoft offers to buy Yahoo in $44.6 billion deal [Reuters]

1. [Scuba SM]

   I find this bit of news particularly interesting. After the release of Vista, a number of commentators said that the relative failure of Vista was due to Microsoft stretching itself much too thin, largely by trying to overtake Google in the online search and advertising business. If this bid succeeds, will that mean that Microsoft will once again be able to concentrate on developing OSs, or will they be spread even more?

2. [Bundercup]

   I remember John Dvorak talking about this would happen on TWIT about a year ago. This could be good for both companies.

3. [MikeG]

   I remember when Yahoo Mail was the only game in town if you didn’t want to contend with a Hotmail account’s inexplicable tendency to fill up with spam. But since Gmail came on the scene, there seems little point in using Yahoo Mail: no POP facility, no forwarding, plus they still trash your emails if you don’t log in often enough.