bitbol

Update 8:56pm: Talks are reported to be over. There is no mention of any kind of deal.

There is nothing definitive, yet, but Yahoo and Microsoft are having formal discussions. It is speculated that Microsoft is trying to acquire Yahoo. This is a benefit for both companies, as Microsoft gains internet presence and Yahoo get additional financial backing along with other services to play with.

I never really thought that Yahoo ever stood a chance against Google, especially in the "extras" market (Gmail, etc). Yahoo's stance has always been the obnoxious banners that swirl around and are overall annoying. Google has always taken care that it is as unobtrusive as possible. Besides, I prefer the simplicity of Google's interface.

Labels: Internet, Microsoft, News, Yahoo

Flickr has now set a deadline requiring that all users merge their flickr accounts with a Yahoo account, somewhat in the same fashion as Google and Blogger accounts merged. But, the merging of the two sites is meeting real criticism. I side with many of the flickr users saying that I would prefer not using anything associated with Yahoo.

Yahoo stayed in the background for quite some time, as it should considering that they own the company, not necessarily run it. Contrary to what many large companies like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft think, I would prefer to have separate accounts for many things. For example, I would like to be able to associate my Blogger account with one email address, but be logged into a different Gmail account. By merging the services under one login, it makes that impossible. Besides, the requirement of a Yahoo account limits the usernames available, and with a service in place since '95, there isn't much left. At least Google lets you use any email address.

Yahoo and flickr may be able to turn things around, but it will never be able to restore all that they have lost. Many people have already vowed to let their paid account expire or drop the service entirely.

Labels: flickr, Internet, Yahoo