| What Microsoft wants from Yahoo |
Jul 07, 2008 |
Microsoft has been chasing Yahoo for quite a while now. Most people think that
it all started with Microsoft's acquisition bid for Yahoo, but this is not so.
It is well-known that Microsoft and Yahoo have been negotiating since at least
May of 2006, and may have been negotiating since 2003. Clearly, Microsoft wants
something important from Yahoo; however, precisely what Microsoft wants has not
been clear until now.
|
| How much was Kiko really worth? |
Oct 11, 2006 |
Ebay auctions can reveal a lot of interesting and valuable information. Unfortunately, few people bother to study the bid data generated by Ebay auctions and fail to benefit from the patterns hidden there. The web calendaring startup Kiko's auction is a classic example of an opportunity wasted because of insufficient analysis. In Kiko's case, the cost ran into the millions.
|
| Mindstorms NXT: Mindstorms Resurrected? |
May 03, 2006 |
Lego seems to have taken up programmable construction toys again with Mindstorms NXT, but this is not so. Mindstorms NXT signals only the continuation of Lego's long standing strategy of keeping programmable construction toys confined to a niche.
|
| Lego Mindstorms: What Went Wrong? |
Nov 27, 2005 |
In recent years, Lego Mindstorms has generated more media buzz for Lego than all of its other product lines combined, but astonishingly, Mindstorms seem to be out of favor at Lego. Why?
|
| Google's Bid-for-placement Patent Settlement Cover-up |
May 31, 2005 |
Why did a well-respected, highly profitable company that professes to do no evil choose to misguide potential investors and shareholders? UPDATED!!!
|
| Making Gmail Work |
Mar 02, 2005 |
Google needs to deal with Gmail users' ad blindness before it can make money with Gmail. Ad blindness is a tough problem to tackle, but Gmail's peculiar business model enables an interesting solution.
|
| Sun Microsystems' x86 Strategy |
Dec 20, 2004 |
The last few years have been quite scary for Sun Microsystems, but the company is back on track. Sun is cutting back on its proprietary hardware and has a sound plan to combat all the competitive threats facing its business.
|
| The Webmail Wars |
Nov 10, 2004 |
Microsoft and Yahoo are in a rush to copy Gmail's functionality, but it makes sense for them to copy more than just the interface, and storage quotas. Gmail's business model suits Microsoft and Yahoo even more than it suits Google, and this is what Microsoft and Yahoo will be copying next.
|
| Business Lessons from Sialkot |
Nov 01, 2004 |
While writing this article it occurred to me that I am running a most unusual startup in the guise of this website. The startup has no capital, no revenues, and no business plan. Is the experiment doomed? Well, I come from Sialkot, and Sialkot's entrepreneurs are absolute masters at what I am doing.
|
| Do Hits Matter? |
Oct 03, 2004 |
Bloggers care a lot about web-traffic, but not all blogs can be popular. Fortunately, blog success and blog popularity do not have any great correlation, and bloggers need to get over their obsession with hits.
|
| Has Google Blundered with the Gmail Beta? |
Aug 28, 2004 |
Google's Gmail service has brought a lot of innovative ideas to the webmail scene, and webmail users are ecstatic about the new functionality. Shockingly, Google is intent on missing out on the financial rewards of the company's hard work.
|
| Why Microsoft is to Blame |
Jul 18, 2004 |
Windows users are getting burned by the non-existent security of Microsoft's operating system. But, instead of addressing the real issues, Microsoft is out on a public relations offensive to avert blame and disinform the public.
|
| Why Windows is a Security Nightmare |
May 16, 2004 |
Microsoft has set aside a $5 million fund for paying off informants on malware authors. In my opinion a good chunk of this money deserves to be paid to individuals who help catch the Microsoft employees behind the design of Windows Registry and Windows Update.
|
| Random KPermutations and KSubsets in O(k) space |
Mar 26, 2004 |
Generating KPermutations and KSubsets is easy, but can be somewhat expensive if thoughtlessly implemented. This article discusses some optimizations for efficient generation of these combinatorial objects.
|
| Why Good Ideas Fail, Part II |
Mar 14, 2004 |
The software industry is pretty harsh on innovative ideas, but this behavior will have to change if the industry wants to survive the onslaught of open source software.
|