RSSAOL, Microsoft Reportedly in Talks
By Ed Oswald | Published September 15, 2005, 2:35 PM
Microsoft is reportedly in talks to take a large financial stake in America Online. At least two media outlets cited sources close to the two companies who confirmed that talks were occurring. However, it's not clear if the discussions extended beyond simple collaboration ideas.
The actual talk of an investment came within a bigger discussion on how the two companies could collaborate according to the Wall Street Journal and New York Post, which first reported the story.
Sources say Microsoft has suggested that the ISP use its search engine, rather than Google that it currently uses for search.
According to the WSJ, the talks have extended beyond search into a possible merger of the AOL and MSN ad sales groups. However, Reuters cited a source late Thursday morning calling the talk of a joint venture "overblown."
AOL has suffered from shrinking subscriber numbers as its core base of dial-up subscribers move to broadband. Microsoft's MSN division, on the other hand, outmaneuvered AOL in the broadband market by signing deals with several providers including Verizon and SBC.
Neither AOL nor Microsoft are commenting on the speculation.
Sad thing is...
crap + crap still equals crap.
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|how is trillian bloated? it barely uses any resources
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|AWESOME....LET THEM SUCK EACH OTHER DRY
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|mm sega joining with nintendo comes to mind, which is nintendo, which is sega and who cares?
is google a sony fan? ok i lost myself in my own metaphor
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|This one service Microspud can't screw up. AOL is screwed up enough as it is.
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|I hope that if this happens at least maybe then MSN Messenger, AIM, and ICQ will all interoperate.
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|AIM and ICQ interoperate already.
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|It's called Trillion or better yet Gaim.
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|Tell me how to add AIM contacts to ICQ then. :)
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|No it's not. Those are completely seperate programs where MSN and AIM still use seperate protocols.
I want to be able to add AIM users to my MSN list.
Also, learn how to spell Trillian.
Trillian 3.0 is bloated to the max and GAIM looks like crap just like everything else in Linux does.
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|just like a normal contact
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|You can't just add them?
I talk to people with ICQ accounts through AIM (GAIM/AIM account) every day.
I am pretty sure you can use the AIM client to log into ICQ and add them that way.
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|Wow, can you smell the bias?
GAIM looks like any other Windows application when you use it on Windows.
Maybe if you set your hate aside and do some homework you'd see that the poster wasn't talking about Linux, he was talking about GAIM.
Linux isn't ugly btw, it is every bit as professional looking as Windows.
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|He's probably as up to date in his Linux experience as he is with GAIM and Trillian
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|awwwwwwwww don't bash on linux cause your too dumb to use linux.
linux will always be more stable than windbloz will ever be.
and yes check your comments before you say anything stupid
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