advertising deal

If an ancient writer was alive today, he might post something like this to his Twitter account: "Hell hath no fury like a software giant scorned."

For much of the year, it looked like a proposed advertising partnership between Google and Yahoo would bring vitally needed liquidity of about $800 million to Yahoo. The economic downturn hit Yahoo particularly hard, with online advertisers moving away from banner ads to Google's more cost-effective text-based ads.

If an ancient writer was alive today, he might post something like this to his Twitter account: "Hell hath no fury like a software giant scorned."

For much of the year, it looked like a proposed advertising partnership between Google and Yahoo would bring vitally needed liquidity of about $800 million to Yahoo. The economic downturn hit Yahoo particularly hard, with online advertisers moving away from banner ads to Google's more cost-effective text-based ads.

One of Yahoo Inc.'s disgruntled shareholders is urging Microsoft Corp. to make a more compelling case for its bid to buy the Internet pioneer's search operations -- a proposal that was trumped by an advertising deal Yahoo reached with Google Inc.

Mithras Capital, which owns 1.7 million Yahoo shares, made the plea to Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer in a letter sent Thursday.