Flickr fans band together to fend off Microsoft
This "Blue-Pink Screen of Death" image protests Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Yahoo, which operates Flickr.
(Credit: Flickr user michaeluyttersp)This is what happens when Microsoft tries to take over not just a company but also a community: a number of Flickr users have launched a group opposing the attempted acquisition.
The Microsoft: Keep Your Evil Grubby Hands Off Our Flickr group has 1,804 members and counting. The photo-sharing site has no shortage of opinionated members, and who knows how many shares they'll be able to vote in a proxy fight, but it is an interesting development.
"I'm not a Microsoft hater," said Flickr user Christopher Bosum. "I just don't like the fact that there might be just another Internet monopolist."
Several of the photos in the pool are amusing, but I particularly liked the Blue-Pink Screen of Death that merges Flickr's color scheme with Microsoft's notorious error fatal-crash message.
Microsoft made an unsolicited $44.6 billion offer for Yahoo last week. Yahoo has said its board is studying the offer.
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
