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Yahoo! and the future of the Internet - Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer
The openness of the Internet is what made Google -- and Yahoo! -- possible. A good idea that users find useful spreas quickly. Businesses can be created around the idea. Users benefit from constant innovation. It's what makes the Internet such an exciting place.
So Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling questions. This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation.
Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC? While the Internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies -- and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets.
Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft -- despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses -- to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo! equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions -- and consumers deserve satisfying answers.
This hostile bid was announced on Friday so there is plenty of time for these questions to be thoroughly addressed. We take Internet openness, choice and innovation seriously. They are the core of our culture. We believe that the interests of Internet users come first -- and should come first -- as the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored.
My Top 10 Things to do at the 2009 ESRI User Conference (#ESRIUC) - Once again another ESRIUC is ready to take place (this is #11 for yours truly) and just like years past, we've got you covered and have setup a dedicated ESRIUC section here on GISuser. See here for news, party tips, special announcements and much more.
Who's Tweeting from the ESRI User Conference (#ESRIUC) Here's a list! - I recently posted a request on Twitter asking people to Re-Tweet a post if they planned on Tweeting from the #ESRIUC next week. The following are some of the people we heard from as well as a few Twitterers that I know will be tweeting from San Diego. If you want to follow some conference goers on Twitter then this is a great list to start with
2009 ESRI UC Social Media Bookmarks, Tips for First Timers and much moreRemember, if you have ESRIUC related news, session info, party notices or ?? share details with us! - This year will be ESRI UC trip #11 for yours truly - a tradition of mine is to share tips, tricks, and down-right useful stuff with other GISusers that will be taking in North America's largest GIS conference.
Economic Stimulus Project areas that may create GIS/Geo Tech Opportunities - Like many of you, we haven't really had time to go through the entire 1,071 page Detailed List of Spending - you can view and download the entire document at ProRepublica. We did take a little time, however, to go through this fine summary.
ESRI Business GIS Summit, July 12-15, 2009 · San Diego, CA - This combination provides an unprecedented opportunity to learn how GIS addresses today's business challenges. If you're interested in business GIS as a manager, executive, or user, there's no better event to attend.vealed.
ESRI International User Conference, July 13-17, 2009 · San Diego, CA - ESRI customers across the globe are invited to register to attend the world's largest gathering of GIS professionals.
Webinar: Google Earth For Your Government Agency - Join Google and DLT an informative webinar on Tuesday, June 30th from 2-3 ET to learn more about how the Google Earth Enterprise solution is helping government agencies to collaborate, and take faster, more informed action.
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