Will Microsoft's $44B bid succeed for Yahoo?

Hows can a question like this not have an end date? Does that mean the "no" people will never get their money?

you should weigh in on the question @ getsatisfaction by clicking help then the getsatisfaction link the question there is:

"Should Hubdub insiders who settle questions be allowed to make predictions?

To date, Hubdub staff who settle questions have also participated in making predictions on those and other questions. We have strived to be as objective as possible on every settlement and settlements are regularly cross-checked. However some users perceive that this conflict of interest may cause us to incorrectly settle questions for our benefit. We can change the rules to:
(1) No restriction (status quo)
(2) No predicting on questions within their category
(3) No predicting on any questions

Thoughts?

Does this mean that if Microsoft raises their bid, the answer is "NO"?

Rohan: I assume if MS raises their offer it will no longer be a $44B offer and hence the answer is "NO." Quite frankly, I think any change to the offer pas the posting time of this question would be a change in the offer and hence a "NO" answer.

Ok, just checking

The insight in this article is worth considering when bidding: http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2008/pulpit_20080208_004240.html. Microsoft is in a transition period, as Gates departs and FOSS becomes more accepted in the corporation. For consumers, the summer of viruses two years ago(?) helped boost the Mac. In the office, many companies are considering whether purchasing proprietary software really is a better path than open, but still interoperable, choices. The Internet and software as a service influences this decision greatly. (Think Google Apps, Hotmail, Web 2.0, Skype, and any other endless number of Internet-based software solutions.) In the face of these trends, Microsoft must become stable to protect its base and grow slowly. Getting Yahoo is the first step in this process. Justice Dept. will have no problem with this deal. The obvious answer is yes, but not for the reasons you would think.

Sounds like the NOs are winners with this one:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/09/magazines/fortune/yahoo_rejects_bid_report.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008020917

Formal rejection issued:

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080211/microsoft_yahoo.html

Yahoo is playing hardball!

= )

This has certainly not been decided. Microsoft's bid could well succeed, ultimately. Why has this been declared settled?