Full text of Ballmer’s letter is reprinted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

This quote really seems to sum up the Microsoft’s whole attitude:

This is despite the fact that our proposal is the only alternative put forward that offers your shareholders full and fair value for their shares

In my view this assumes that the other alternative – Yahoo! remaining an independent entity – doesn’t offer “full and fair value for their shares.” Hm.

The hostile takeover thing is really what we’ve come to expect from Microsoft, really, but I never imagined that we might see it on such a large scale. It’s not so much “shit or get off the pot,” it’s more like “shit or get flushed anyway.” My.