If this deal does go through, it will be great news for anyone who competes with Microsoft - a combined MS/Yahoo would be a crippled behemoth bleeding staff and losing projects. The Vista launch might be looked back on as a relative success after this.

The funny thing is this: EU regulators will probably try to stop the deal if it gets that far. However - if they really wanted to improve competition, they would allow it to happen. The raw chaos that would ensue the consummation would be a boon to all the other players in the industry.