With little left to lose and Microsoft still breathing down its neck, Yahoo has made a bold decision that could determine the future of its search business. Hoping to "disrupt" the search market, Yahoo will in effect crowd source its search business by allowing outside developers to build their own search engines using the company's system for indexing information and images.  

The program, known as Build Your Own Search Engine (BOSS), could be a boon for search engine startups that are typically short on money and data, according to Search Engine Land. But BOSS could also help Yahoo find its legs again by letting independent engineers innovate on the company's behalf.

While Microsoft and Google already offer similar tools to developers, officials at Yahoo have been quick to point out that the intent behind BOSS is to let outside developers help determine the company's search roadmap.

BOSS will be free to developers and Yahoo will retain the rights to sell advertising against the results.