IBM has proven with their custom Blue Gene OS that a minimal, focused and efficient operating system trumps the notorious bloat and pack-in that every modern Microsoft OS has been known for. Try and think back to the last time you've described any product in the Windows Family as "lean". IBM has also been very keen on Linux, tailoring it to Blue Gene's I/O nodes.
Therein lies the beauty of custom operating systems and highly customizable operating systems, two arenas where Microsoft just can't compete. You can get what you want with as little overhead as possible.
The comments regarding the worthlessness of AOL's content and services are spot-on, but besides the point. What AOL offers Google is a horde of users. All those eyes can be redirected to Google and their lucrative search and ad system. AOL has been pushing its users outside of its comfortable womb for the past couple of years, and Google can accelerate that process significantly while still offering a familiar subset of services.
Google has the vision and the resources to remodel whatever AOL services it deems worthy and, in the case of something like AIM and AOL Mail, fold the service into their similar offerings (Google Talk and GMail). Personally, this would be a great buy - AOL's an ugly chicken, but its drumsticks are delicious.
Slashdot Mirror
IBM has proven with their custom Blue Gene OS that a minimal, focused and efficient operating system trumps the notorious bloat and pack-in that every modern Microsoft OS has been known for. Try and think back to the last time you've described any product in the Windows Family as "lean". IBM has also been very keen on Linux, tailoring it to Blue Gene's I/O nodes. Therein lies the beauty of custom operating systems and highly customizable operating systems, two arenas where Microsoft just can't compete. You can get what you want with as little overhead as possible.
Should've gone with Debian/Ubuntu.
The comments regarding the worthlessness of AOL's content and services are spot-on, but besides the point. What AOL offers Google is a horde of users. All those eyes can be redirected to Google and their lucrative search and ad system. AOL has been pushing its users outside of its comfortable womb for the past couple of years, and Google can accelerate that process significantly while still offering a familiar subset of services. Google has the vision and the resources to remodel whatever AOL services it deems worthy and, in the case of something like AIM and AOL Mail, fold the service into their similar offerings (Google Talk and GMail). Personally, this would be a great buy - AOL's an ugly chicken, but its drumsticks are delicious.