Microsoft Buys Search Engine, Going After Google?

obsolete1349 writes "Microsoft has just bid 1.2 billion dollars for FAST (Fast Search And Transfer [Microsoft to use a self-recursive acronym?]), an enterprise search company. 'Microsoft can bundle FAST with its Microsoft Office SharePoint Server' with its soon-to-be-customers Comcast, Disney, Microsoft, Pfizer, and UBS."

That's ok...

[Cytlid]

...I'm going to snipe them and bid 1.3 Billion at the last second.

Thought MS already had a Google beating ........

[jmhowitt]

..... search engine? Why do they need two?

Re:That's ok...

[JeepFanatic]

You're assuming that Microsoft doesn't have a proxy bid in place already to outbid you during your snipe attempt.

Re:The turtle

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean ... a search engine powered by Logo!?

Great

[teebob21]

What a wonderful development; MS buys FAST for search, and the majority of the computing world faces a little more SLOW: Software Lock-in On Windows.

Dyslexic Recursive Acronym

[StCredZero]

It's a Dyslexic Recursive Algorithm, or a DAR.

No conflict here

[shaitand]

Fast Search And Transfer would be FSAT or FST, not FAST. Microsoft is allowed to have self-recursive acronyms if they are bugged. ;)

Re:That's ok...

[rasputin465]

Go for it, you can probably find the thing on ebay...

FAST in the UK

[thegermanpolice]

FAST in the UK is the Federation Against Software Theft http://www.fast.org.uk/ [fast.org.uk] I completely mis-read this, that Microsoft are investing in copyright protection.

Re:Recursive acronym... but...

[jdray]

How about the recursive marketing? Microsoft can bundle FAST [for] its soon-to-be-customers Comcast, Disney, Microsoft, Pfizer, and UBS.

Re:self-recursive acronym

[Rik Sweeney]

The problem is, that when everyone else does it, it's quite cool. When Microsoft does it, I get the same cringing feeling that I do when watching one of my parents dancing.

Re:self-recursive acronym

[Torvaun]

Yeah, those examples are LAME [sourceforge.net].

Re:That's ok...

[somersault]

Sweet - I'm going to bid 1 billion billion and put them out of business!

No, it's just Microsoft

[A nonymous Coward]

Version 1.0 has the screwed up acronym.

Version 1.0 SP1 will correct it to the incorrect FaSAT.

Version 2.0 will change it to FaST.

Version 3.0 will be FSAT.

Re:FAST?

[hasdikarlsam]

You Do Not Mention the FSAT.

(No, it's actually FAst Search and Transfer)

Re:I don't get it....

[Anonymous Coward]

Matthew,

Thanks for taking an indepth look at our pending bid. We thought it would be a good idea, but we didn't spend any time researching the deal and seeing if it would be worth it. You are totally right and totally were able to explore all the facets of the deal and show us the error of our ways. Geez, we're dumb sometimes!

Thanks again,

Bill Gates

Re:What they are going after...

[CopaceticOpus]

So they're going after grep?

Microsoft, terror of the seven seas!

[6-tew]

"There's be gold in them thar Interwebs! Set sail fer Norway!"

"But Cap'in, the ship! She be takin on water!"

"Damn the water! Norway and GOLD! ."

And so the Dread Pirates of Redmond sailed to Norway, but their ship, the M.S.N. Vista, sank on the return trip due to rot brought about by years of shoddy repair work and the weight of countless ill-advised upgrades and too much booty. A combination which had rendered it a lumbering hulk, no longer seaworthy.

Show of hands, whose surprised Microsoft wants to go after Google?

Second show of hands, who thinks Pirate metaphors should be used to illustrate everything?

"Yarrrr!"

Re:self-recursive acronym

[onemorechip]

Microsoft Is Constantly Reinventing Operating Systems to Obsolete Future Technology.

OK, somebody else try to do better.

Re:What they are going after...

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently, they thought they were going after "gerp", whatever the hell that is.