Microsoft To Power Ubuntu Search

Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has reportedly signed a deal with Yahoo! to use their search engine as the default search provider in Ubuntu.

The next version of Ubuntu (Lucid Lynx) will feature Yahoo! as default search engine. The change may also appear in the development versions of Lucid. Yahoo! reportedly outbid Google who was the default search provider. However, users can switch back to Google with ease. 

Rick Spenser of Canonical wrote in the mailing list, "I am pursuing this change because Canonical has negotiated a revenue sharing deal with Yahoo! and this revenue will help Canonical to provide developers and resources to continue the open development of Ubuntu and the Ubuntu Platform. This change will help provide these resources as well as continuing to respect our user's default search across Firefox."
 
Yahoo! recently signed an agreement with Microsoft. Under the deal, Microsoft now powers Yahoo! search. Practically Microsoft will now power Ubuntu search.

It is understandable that Yahoo! (Microsoft) paid more than Google to use their search engine in Ubuntu. A company like Canonical needs funds to run such projects. But how much sense does it make to use money of the same proprietary companies, who strongly believe in the notion of 'Slaveware'? The very company whose CEO once called "Linux a Cancer?"

Will the pressure from the sales team affect or influence the development team at Canonical? What will be the consequences of this deal on the Ubuntu Muktware* community? Will more compromises be made tomorrow? 
 
* Muktware is guided by the same priciple as described by the FSF. It is an alias of Free Software.