CNET News blogger Ina Fried writes that all the posturing between Microsoft and Yahoo seems to have died down—and that's suspicious. Could a deal be in the works soon?

"There have been plenty of reporters and analysts arguing that Microsoft and Yahoo should just get on with it, the logic being that Yahoo doesn't really have any better offers and Microsoft can afford an extra billion or two, if necessary, to get a deal done," Fried wrote. "At the same time, there are some factors that have set the stage for this slow-motion stage fight. One is that Microsoft, while definitely interested in Yahoo, does not appear interested in bidding against itself."

That's despite a widely circulated report on Wednesday that said Microsoft probably will, in fact, do just that. But there's no official word. Yahoo, meanwhile, is clearly playing for time.

But whatever happens, it should probably happen soon. "Here's the rub though: Microsoft says it's buying Yahoo to compete with Google," Fried said. "Every day that goes by is a day where Google is continuing to kick both company's online rears and the two companies are left to pursue their separate strategies. It's going to take time for a deal to get done even assuming they can come to terms, and then time once the deal gets done to get rid of all the overlap and get folks working on new projects."

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