msn reviews

‘TIS EASTER SUNDAY’ and it seems Microsoft is commemorating the resurrection with a little resurrecting of its own, dragging us away from our chocolate egg hunt with snooze, er, news that its talks with Yahoo are back on again.

After restraining himself from any talk of MicroHoo!! for the duration of Lent, Ballmer? purportedly cracked like an Easter egg and met with Yahoo’s new chief executive Carol Bartz face to face last week.

This time, however, it’s not about a sell-out for some 30 pieces of silver, oh no. This time it’s all about “partnership” involving various search and advertising opportunities according to the gospel from “a variety of sources” at Digital Daily.

Sceptics and non believers may have a hard time accepting that such a deal may indeed come to pass, especially since all logical proof points towards Microsoft forging ahead with its Kumo search plan.

In fact, Microsoft seems so hell-bent on creating its own all knowing, all finding search engine, it even converted Qi Lu – Yahoo’s head of engineering for its Search and Advertising Technology Group – to lead the Volish crusade for search and online advertising.

With talks between Ballmer and Bartz said to be “preliminary and wide ranging”, the holy hook-up is said to directly threaten the big G almighty itself (Google for those unversed in INQ blasphemy).

Google reigns over about 60 per cent of the search and online advertising market. Yawho? has a significantly smaller following with just 20 per cent of the market, while Microsoft search has yet to even achieve sect status.

So far, Bartz has managed to avoid crossing Yahoo shareholders by heeding lessons from her predecessor’s painful, drawn-out crucifixion. She has also proved herself most adept at standing firm and praying for miracles from above.

Still, if Bartz manages to nail this deal, Yahoo could soon be looking at the bright side of life once again.