Hi folks, I'd like to say hi and introduce myself.
I've followed this thread for more than two years and I finally decided to pay my dime and become a participant.
I was employed twice at Compaq from '89 to '92 and then from 94 to 96. My expertise (then as now) is in datacomm networking and system management packages (things like Tivoli TME, BMC Patrol, HP OpenView/IBM NetView). Over the last decade when I wasn't employed at Compaq I generally made a decent living doing contracting and consulting work here in Houston and around Texas. My point here is that I'm an engineer turned programmer, not a marketing or money guy, so what insight I have will have more to do with systems and services rather than business plans or marketing campaigns. Still, I hope to be able to contribute.
What brings me to join the thread today is that my wife, who had been employed at Compaq for 8 years, was laid off almost one year ago following the Digital acquisition (coincidentally, both of us worked for DEC in Massachusetts during the last half of the 80s but that's another story). She then had one year in which to exercise the options granted when she started at Compaq. Those options were set to expire at the end of October so she exercised them on the 27th at 19 1/16. Obviously, I wish we had exercised them when CPQ was in the upper 40s/low 50s but that's the way it goes. Her option price, btw, was $4.62. And, fwiw, the options I was granted in '89 expired worthless in '93.
So, after exercising and selling to cover we're now holding a little more than 2500 shares. Clearly I'm bullish on this stock, else we'd have just taken the cash and run. Now I'm looking forward to a steady ride back up the hill we seem to have slipped off of.
Again, I hope to be able to contribute here and look forward to it. In a way I feel like I already know some of you.
Now let's see if maybe this pig has wings. BTW, anyone ever hear from ol' Stan, the originator, anymore?
Chuck |
