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Who Will Join Microsoft in the Portal Wars?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the choosing-sides dept.

madman writes "In the light of the recent changes in the search war, like the Google/Dell partnership and eBay/Yahoo! alliance, Microsoft is facing a complicated question: Who are they going to ally with? Will they try to face the competition alone?"

9 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. "Who are they going to ally with?" by talkingpaperclip · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Who are they going to ally with?"

    The dark side, obviously.

  2. One of 2 choices by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    Either Microsoft will join forces with Hotmail, or else MSN will team up with Microsoft for battle.

  3. Microsoft should use the X-Box model by thammoud · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Grow organically. Most takovers and and partnerships amongst large companies fail to realize their initial potential. MS should stop trying to shoe horn everything into the failed MSN model. Create a small team of talented people, give them some serious money and freedom and let them create. Do not impose Windows or MSN on them. Let them build the hardware, the software and the website. Do what apple does but with a much larger budget. I can use an IPOD without a Mac or having to go to apple.com (.mac).

  4. The writer of this article... by Mikachu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    obviously didn't read this.

  5. AOL! by 9mm+Censor · · Score: 4, Funny

    I know I would definately BUY vista, if I got like a free trail for AOL. I have been hankering to try that out but cant find those CDs anywhere.

  6. Microsoft doesn't partner with folks it assimilate by mwfolsom · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Folks:

    Anybody that partners with Microsoft is nuts -

    Who has ever done it and lived to tell the tale?

    M-

  7. Not trolling by Mostly+a+lurker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think this is where Microsoft's prior behaviour comes back to haunt them. When Microsoft partners with anyone, it is (from their viewpoint) a short term marriage of convenience to be discarded the moment they think they can make a buck by shafting their "partner". If I had a valuable Internet property, the last thing I would consider is letting Microsoft get its fingers on it. You may think you have good lawyers, but Microsoft has played the game too long.

  8. Been there, done that by GigsVT · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Doesn't anyonre remember the last portal wars?

    They were won by a company that didn't provide a portal, just a simple search service that let people find what they want.

    People don't want a "portal"... they just want to find what they are looking for quickly.

    --
    I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
  9. the Xbox model... by YesIAmAScript · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Xbox model was not to give a small team the freedom to create.

    The hardware design was done by two guys who don't even work for MS, they work for a joint design and manufacturing company. The software was done in-house, but by a larger team. The Xbox OS is a derivative of (Windows) NT. Additionally, they spent untold dollars buying Bungie, RARE, Oddworld Inhabitants and other companies.

    In other words, they largely followed the model you say sucks. They spent a lot of money on acquisitions, only one of which worked out (and even the Bungie Crew is all gone to Wideload and WildTangent now except for Jason Jones). And the kicker, they've so far lost a truckload of money.

    It doesn't sound like the right model to me. If the Xbox team ever turns a profit it'll be because Sony are such boneheads, not because of the excellence of the Xbox model.

    --
    http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95