IF Microsoft's attemped takeover of Yahoo goes ahead, it could lead to the biggest and bloodiest battle the internet has ever seen.
The move would allow computer giant Microsoft to take on arch rival Google with a new arsenal of consumer products such as online music downloading and picture sharing - products it has failed to develop successfully on its own.
The takeover could also dramatically improve its core email and search products by combining its technology with Yahoo's.
Products we use every day - email, search engines and instant messaging, are likely to undergo major changes as the two companies previously competing products are combined, with a single aim - to better anything Google can produce. However this could be a double edged sword, as Microsoft risks alienating users of both products if it does not integrate them well. Already there has been a backlash among users of Yahoo's excellent Flickr photo sharing service, with users threatening to leave the service if the Microsoft deal goes through.
But it is undoubtedly the entertainment arena which Microsoft stands to gain most from. Yahoo has an excellent online music service, and its picture sharing site Flickr is regarded as the benchmark for the rest of the industry.
Owning these would also allow Microsoft to launch a fresh assault on Apple, who currently dominate the online entertainment market, in a battle that will spread beyond the internet and into the living room as the companies compete to provide home entertainment services. We could see Microsoft making a real play for the music, film and TV distribution market, by using its expertise in the back end 'plumbing' of the internet and its knowledge of computer software with Yahoo's expertise in consumer content. Microsoft has already announced a deal with BT to offer TV through its Xbox 360 games console, and the introduction of Yahoo's services into that would only boost Microsoft's chances of success.
Outgoing Microsoft boss Bill Gates has admitted several times that the company 'missed the internet' when it first emerged, and ever since it has been involved in a desperate battle to fend off Yahoo and Google, who prospered because of a combination of superb programming and the ability to move much fast that the giant Microsoft.
By buying Yahoo, something it has tried to do several times before, Microsoft can instantly play catch up with Google - if (and it's a very big if) it can integrate the two companies products without alienating both sets of staff and users.