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Microsoft Corp plans to invest heavily in Web search to compete against Google Inc, even if it fails to acquire Yahoo Inc, the company's chairman Bill Gates said on Monday.Gates, who called Microsoft's offer for Yahoo "very fair", said Google is the only company with "critical mass" in Web search. Microsoft needs a bigger piece of the market to create a more competitive and profitable Web search business.
"We can afford to make big investments in the engineering and marketing that needs to get done. We will do that with or without Yahoo," said Gates in an interview with Reuters.
Microsoft's Web Effort Will Proceed With or Without Yahoo [uk.reuters.com]
Steve Ballmer : The man who killed Netscape and tried but failed at killing Google.
They are both walking dinosaurs - like their search engine (and web browser). Why do they need a big marketshare in order to create a competitive product? Neither Google nor Yahoo bought their way into the search market.
This could be MSFT's way of making Yahoo starve first and then the offer seems much better. Maybe they'll give them a few more months and say, "see, you still haven't improved, and your stock is down."
A few billion saved for a few months is not a bad deal.
Bill has been right enough times to make up for it.
For example?
Windows was never his idea, he just marketed it in a very aggressive way and relied on the slowness of the legal system to exploit a monopoly. Abusing his monopoly has not helped the industry at all.
When has he ever stood up with a vision which he has seen through? Voice activated computers anyone?
They have the resources to be a contender.
I will be very happy to see anyone become legitimate competition.
There have been other times where they were surpassed and then made some of their better attacks from a "position of weakness".
Any examples there either? Unless you mean the xbox - but I don't recon $4 billion investment with no need of return is a position of weakness.
"But we also see that we'd get there faster if the great engineering work that Yahoo has done and the great engineers there were part of the common effort," said Gates, ..
Its so much difficult to develop search technology and other Internet software (say like, browser?) for world's biggest software sellers. Hmm.
Regards...jmcc
Bill has been right enough times to make up for it.
For example?
I take it back. He has no clue at all. Nothing was his idea and others did all the work.
In fact, he didn't even hire the folks that did all the work. It's my understanding that he wanted to hire other people!
On Yahoo: Tim is on MSFT's side. Their stock will rise whereas Y!'s will go back to $20 putting pressure on them to capitulate.
"Two years from now, spam will be solved,"
[informationweek.com...]
Couldn't resist...
Everyone outdoes Microsoft but they find themselves in Ballmers firing line to be executed. Name one product which Microsoft makes which people have to have as soon as they see one.
Bill Gates made all his money because of the deals he made with OEM's (laced with threats of killing their business if they do not comply). He has then spent the next 20 years defending that monopoly at the cost of the industry. We have many examples of him trying to influence the market to make themselves the sole supplier of everything related to computers.
Competition makes him nervous, hence the list of 'x' killers that Microsoft has been producing in the last 10 years.
If he had vision and the ability to follow through on promises then we would all be talking to our computers and answering video calls on them by now.
Where are examples of world changing technology invented at Microsoft? I don't think people will be queuing up to buy one of those table computers.
While he's making tens of billions, people are going nuts over twitter. Yeah, I am convinced he is a loser.
[finance.yahoo.com...]
The 'market' prefers companies that have ideas for how they are going to grow. MSFT hasn't grown since Windows 98. Past performance is not an indicator of future performance and all that... The stock market value of a technology company is very important since a lot of developers become millionaires through share options.
You might also want to see the history of General Motors (pre and post 1980). Just because you are making money now, does not mean the world cannot change around you.
My pet-peeve is when someone tries to diminish what others have done. My answer: "If it was /is so easy, do it yourself."
My answer: "If it was /is so easy, do it yourself."
Very well put!
Hater: (Urban Dictionary)
"A person whose jealousy of another person success or achievements makes them verbally nit-pick any flaws no matter how small or just make up flaws in order to somehow try and belittle the successful person."
"A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person."
I suppose you have the same opinion of drug dealers and people traffickers, they are rich and successful - yet the government keeps hating on them!
If it makes you feel better, the whole world is jealous of your freedom too...
Talk about Silverlight, no matter how currently infantile it is, and the fact that it will be huge.
The new Core Server installation of Windows Server 2008?
Advancement of PowerShell?
The Office 2007 interface? (If you ask me best interface ever done anytime).
I work with both open source (an ex Java programmer, user of Linux) and everyday with MS technologies and can confidently say they do some good stuff.
mikedee, it seems to me you are posting in the wrong forum!
Don't you think in forums like groklaw.net you'll find IBMers, freetards, amigoids, and the rest of the anti-Microsoft gang. This crowd will really appreciate your non-sense!
Search patents, specially those related to bid-for-placement products and pay-for-performance search technologies.
already licensed by Google (paid with Goog stock before IPO)
Ok BillyS,
if he was so wrong, and others so right...how come he is "Bill Gates" ? Talking and knocking him down is easy, people should just outdo him.
walkman - just for the record, I was kidding. No one puts together an empire like Bill Gate's without doing a lot of things the right way.
Google is a great company too. We'll have to check back in 20 years to see if they're as successful as Microsoft - which has dominated the industry for over 20 years.
And as for Yahoo. They've outgrown their founder's abilities.
Regards...jmcc
Their map application (MS) is looking more like a Google product (and I mean that as a compliment) while Photosynth is like nothing I've seen, such a cool interface.
I like the Office "Ribbon" interface as well, but absolutely love the Vector IDE with EXpression Blend and Design! After using Fireworks for 10 years I recently gave Adobe Illustrator and Corel X4 a whirl (for better Vector tools). Then I tried Expression Design wow. And I don't care that they bought a company then took two product cycles to get to this point, bottom line, the tool rocks!
Which brings me back to my point, how the hell can MS take a Yahoo and turn it into an Expression Design?
talk is cheap. Results do matter. Here's the one product [finance.yahoo.com...] .
While he's making tens of billions, people are going nuts over twitter. Yeah, I am convinced he is a loser.
Walkman i am completely with you in the all post you made for MSFT and Bill. Good to see him making strategic moves in public as i believe lot of them are within his cabin. :-)
