5. Yahoo evades attack.

Beloved-but-battered Web 1.0 icon Yahoo was seemingly defenseless; Microsoft was big, powerful, and flush with cash to spend in its attempts to play catchup with Google. Yet Yahoo managed to escape the Redmondian hostile takeover, though the painful aftermath included founder and Chief Yahoo Jerry Yang suffering abysmal press and deciding to step down. Only time will tell whether Yahoo did the right thing, but I’m glad that we won’t have to face the prospect of something called Microsoft Windows Hot Yahoo Live Mail.