for USD 1.2 billion.

Money rules.

I thought Opera had a higher priority, but that is perhaps too expensive.

"interesting,
The URL above indicates that part off the fast platform is built on
asp.net, a microsoft technology"

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Very expensive.

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Not compared to what they gave for their share of FaceBook. I have never understood that buy. May be Microsoft see something that I do not see. May be it can be compared to Google's buy of YouTube, that in my view was a much better buy.

1. It is not always easy to figure out Bill Gates thoughts / long term strategies. Did MS only buy traffic and part of a network when they bought Facebook? Does it indicate a long term strategy to buy the whole company? Then MS may have made that potential take over very expensive since FaceBook now has a solid funding.
2. If Microsoft want to compete with Google, Fast and their staff may be a better / more valuable buy.
3. Traditionally when a company buys another, they buy customers, know how, goodwill etc.
4. Who are FaceBook's and Fast's customers? What are their know how and Goodwill? And in the case of FaceBook MS did only get a minority post. With the buy of Fast, MS got their know how.
5. Private conclusion: Fast a much better buy for MS than their minority share of FaceBook.

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If they are really using the know how for their internet search engines - it wil mean that Microsoft will get far better in non-english searches. That would be great, though

I posted about this earlier here Web Design Blog » Microsoft to acquire FAST for better enterprise search but deal was in progress that time. MS is surely getting ready to give some real competition to Google very soon

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I doubt that. Google is much more than search algorithmes.

MS is still best on traditional desktop software.

IMO, they are lagging on web software like

• web server
• browser
• search

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I agree but MS will definitely like to improve its share over online search and web softwares. In browsers IE still rocks. More than 80% visitors to my website are from IE. Only few number of people use Firefox or other browsers.

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Yes. Google:

web browser kgun site:www.webproworld.com

and you find my opionion on web browsers.

The most important information is only available on my extranet.

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