Yahoo users have no need to panic

For Yahoo's stalwart users, the company's acquisition should not usher in any dramatic changes in the near future.

Actually, some industry analysts say people using Yahoo Mail, its search engine or its news page now may feel more secure, and that services are unlikely to disappear from lack of funding or lack of corporate interest anytime soon.

However, for a company that has become a decided B-list player after once being an Internet pioneer, changes to Yahoo may be akin to a tree falling in a forest when there's no one there to hear it.

"In a lot of ways, the removal of Yahoo as a destination on the Internet is like removing your hand from a swimming pool -- it just doesn't really make much difference," said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group. "In the short term, it's just another day for Yahoo users... I think there will be some pruning over time, taking out some of the services that overlap, like email, for example. However, I think it will be a gentle transition for the vast majority of users."

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