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Microsoft In Talks To Buy Claria
axonis writes "For the last two weeks, Microsoft has been in talks to buy Claria, an adware marketer formerly called Gator, and best known for its pop-up ads and software that tracks people visiting Web sites. The offer price on the table as recently as Wednesday was $500 million. One person briefed on the deal said there was opposition within Microsoft to the acquisition. Analysts said Microsoft would probably be most interested in the long-term potential of Claria's personalization software rather than its pop-up ads."
...and I got really scared there for a second. ;)
It could, of course, be a good thing, if they can buy the company, and use their software for something other than spyware and popups!
libertarianswag.com
With any luck they'll buy them and then blow them up.
Microsoft will just embed Gator into Longhorn.
What are they thinking, don't they realize what this is going to do to their image? Microsoft, the company cherished for it's warm human point of view and high quality software, associating itself with such a low-life company.
Well, at least deciding which company we hate most should get a lot easier.
as if millions of pcs suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Microsoft should buy whoever made Bonzai Buddy (or whatever that purple guy was called.) The integration of that and Clippy would be revolutionary.
When they combine, they form a new terror, as vast as Microsoft yet as wicked as Claria -- and our weapons will be useless against it. It will destroy all of Meta-Tokyo, unless we can find the Magic Princess in time and give her the Moon Crystal and the Seven Essences! Your quest begins here...
(Press 'B' to continue)
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
... Popup blocking functionality was stripped from Longhorn, Microsoft announced today.
839*929
Pop-up security updates, click here to patch XP, "Win an X-Box 360 if you can whack Ballmer" Microsoft ads, Pop-up spam on competitors web sites. It is the beginning of the Microsoft Dirty War.
"I drank WHAT?!"--Socrates
Gator=evil money sucking leeches...
MS=(I'll let you figure that one...)
One division of M$ will infect software from another divsion while a 3rd division tries to clear it off. This sounds like M$ has some serious inner turmoir going on? Talk about not being able to make up your mind.
I really want to see how the PR people market this.
Evolution or ID?
You mean Claria, not Microsoft.
I wonder if Steve Ballmer has any extra pot he can sell me...
I don't think Steve is smoking pot. It's something way stronger than that. Something top secret and isn't on the streets strong.
Evolution or ID?
IE doesn't succomb, it's just having a bad hair day!
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
"...the company cherished for it's warm human point of view and high quality software..."
I think you misspelled "crap."
It's a common typo, they keys are like, right next to each other.
(with apologies to bash)
NWO : "For only $29.99, we won't tell the wife/DEA/Homeland Security!"
Oh damn, forgot to click "Post Anonymously"...
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Or maybe the adware is their final solution to the piracy problem...
The truth about Michael
"Yes, Master Gates! We scurry to obey our Lordship's fearsome wrath!"
"Minion, it's been more than a month since I found a way to make myself more evil and I'm completely out of ideas! I was wondering if your abject, toady self could come up with anything better."
"Errrr, Your Worship could turn his steely fist of retribution to the task of creating more Windows security holes, oh Instigator of Mandatory Overtime?"
"Bah, that's an automated process now! Try harder, you pathetic cringing worm!"
"Ummm, you could always give more money to Darl McBride, oh Slayer of Open Source!"
"That idiotic bungler! We were cought faking evidence in the middle of our trial and still came out on top, and he can't even drag his pathetic little farce out three years?"
"Create an iPod clone, oh Exterminator of the Jobsian Herasy?"
"Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Next!"
"You could get William Hung and Billy Ray Cyrus to collaborate on a new version of "Achy Breaky Heart."
Gates fixed his minion with a steely glare. "Even I have limits."
"Well, then what about buying a spyware company, oh Vengeful Wielder of Billiions? One with really annoying popups and tracking software that's impossible to remove."
"What, like RealMedia?"
"Well, that would work, but I was thinking about Gator, oh Bringer of Viruses."
"That's it! Great idea! Good thinking, minion! Tonight you get extra fishheads in your gruel!"
Crow T. Trollbot
Perhaps microsoft just wants to aquire a group of programmers who have proven their capability for evil. People who won't let bad karma get in the way of making a buck.
Next, they'll be buying SCO for its executives and legal team. These are the staff they need to fight open source.
(it's a joke people, don't take it seriously)
Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach either, do tech support.
When I heard MS was going to get adware and spyware under control, I thought they meant with a program...not by buying the whole adware companies!
Don't take life so seriously. No one makes it out alive.
Might be cheaper than fixing Internet Explorer...
It looks like you're writing a letter! Would you like me to start randomly adjusting the formatting for you?
Redundancy is good And also good.
The good news is that we won't have to worry about Gator being ported to Linux or other operating systems now...
That's a nice thing to think, but you'd also be "buying" the employees who came up with Gator and all that nifty "personalization" associated with it. Personally, I wouldn't want to work with somone that skanky.
This is an entry in Bill Gates's diary: