At the core of the Microsoft-Google saga

A few months ago Microsoft made an offer to acquire Yahoo!, but the search engine operator spurned the advances of the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant. Yet, that was not the last word. As a matter of fact, according to the New York Post, stung by the loss of Internet advertising firm DoubleClick to Google last month (a $3.1 billion purchase), Microsoft is resuming its pursuit and asking Yahoo to enter formal negotiations for an acquisition that could be worth $50 billion.

Maybe what this story suggests is that, as in the Highlander saga, only one will survive. But how, if ever, will this benefit all of us end users?