Microsoft and Yahoo: The Standoff Continues (For Now)

Steve Ballmer's weekend deadline

But that quiet might not last, at least for the rest of the industry.

Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen has written a lengthy piece, based on questions and answers with a couple of experts, on what options are left for both Microsoft and Yahoo. His most intriguing conclusion: No matter what happens between those two companies, the days of hostile takeovers in the technology space are just beginning:

If large mergers and acquisitions can prove distracting, how about large hostile takeovers? Andreessen is correct, in that there are really no templates for big hostile takeovers in technology. But those who can recall the hotly contested Hewlett-Packard-Compaq merger earlier this decade might also recall how steep a price HP paid in just distractions alone. While Ballmer may not care what Andreessen, his former rival, may have to say, he may want to drop and dime and give Carly Fiorina, HP's former CEO, a quick call.