No, I do not see YHOO as the foundation of the internet a few years from now. What they do is not unique and can easily be duplicated and improved by someone who has the drive to do so, e.g., Mr. Gates. Also, there are several other search engines out there that do almost as good a job as YHOO. With time they will only improve.
Alta Vista, which is often replaces YHOO somehow when doing a search will soon be owned by CPQ. I am not sure if YHOO has anything to do with Alta Vista, but whenever I do a YHOO search, I end up using Alta Vista. CPQ may do a number on YHOO.
I agree with you that the internet will become like a telephone or fax machine in the near future, but that does not mean YHOO will end up controlling it. Who reads their advertisements anyway? And more importantly, who buys anything after reading one of their adds? Commerce over the internet will surely increase, but once it does, watch out for Mr. Gates. He is letting YHOO do all the work right now, when the time is right, he will move in with some better way of doing it. And when that happens, YHOO is finished.
John Carson |
