Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer could begin a proxy fight for control over Yahoo's board toward the end of this week. Microsoft's rank and file do not want him to, according to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley. None would go on record with an opinion contrary to Ballmer, but one anonymous source told Foley:

No one wants it to happen. The only reason it's being considered is that the management of Windows Live has been so ineffective that they can't ship anything worth using. They are consistently behind what consumers want, and unlike the old Microsoft, they are so poorly managed that they can't even copy everyone else.

Generally, people just accept it as likely coming, but a lot don't expect it to impact anything materially for at least a year. Think the EU is going to let this go easily, if at all? It will take forever in regulatory approvals.

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