Y! / MSN Interoperability. does it really matter ??

I really dont understand the hype happening about Yahoo messenger / MSN IM becoming interoperable. Fedora Linux comes with a built-in IM called GAIM (they do have a win version) through which you can login to your Y!, MSN, IRC, AOL and many more messengers all at the same time and chat with all your friends.It makes me wonder if the Y! / MSN IM Interoperability is worth all these media attention !!