It is no secret that Microsoft is looking for a way to venture out into a non-software related field. Take a look at Microsoft Live. However it is clear that they are some what lacking when competing against the web giants with the likes of Google or Yahoo!.

If you can’t beat them, buy them.

When the first news about Microsoft bidding over $40 Billion to buy Yahoo, I didn’t put much thought into it. I don’t think it would affect me much. I have not use Yahoo! Search for ages. I’ve stop using Yahoo! Mail when I got my invitation to Gmail.

However, I forgot that Yahoo! has other cool products that I use frequently. Del.icio.us, which they had bought sometime ago is something I use often. So does Flickr, which is also another great web service Yahoo! had bought a while back. I even recently upgrade to a pro Flickr account.

Yahoo! did a great job in not messing up those web services they buy. They let it be and help them grow. Will Microsoft be any different? I do hope Microsoft will keep both Del.icio.us and Flickr as they are.

Lets just hope my worst nightmare of Microsoft implementing it’s Microsoft Passport or .NET passport or Windows Live Login or what ever it is called these days, into web services like Del.icio.us or Flickr does not happen. It is basically Microsoft’s unified login service that allows users to log into many website with one account. I’ve nothing against Microsoft, seriously I don’t, but I did have some bad experience with my Microsoft Passport account.

What would happen to Yahoo! Messenger? Would it be replace with MSN Messenger? What would happen to MSN web portal?

I am not the only one worried about this Microsoft Yahoo! (MicroHoo!) buy over, check out this Flickr Group. There are quite a few Flickr users that do not want to see this happen.

As for me, Microsoft could do what ever they want with their money. Buy Yahoo!, but just keep Flickr and Del.icio.us as it is. Heck if I got $40 billion I would’ve buy Yahoo! myself. May be after I buy a new laptop, pay finish my car, buy a house, then if there is still some money left, I’d buy Yahoo!. May be.