Here's the link to the NYT article:
nytimes.com
It's a good, objective article. Here are a couple of snippets.
"The logic behind Corel's acquiring Inprise is straightforward. Inprise gives Corel a full range of software products, including programming languages and software development tools, an operating system and desktop applications. The only other company that can claim all three categories is Microsoft, and though the combined 1999 sales of Corel and Inprise, $418 million, are dwarfed by Microsoft, the combination of Corel and Inprise is larger than any Linux company."
"There's not exactly an immense market for Linux desktop applications," said Jeffrey Tarter, editor of Softletter, an industry newsletter. "No. 2 has to find places where No. 1 is vulnerable, and certainly Microsoft is never going to develop credible applications for Linux. This is a place where Corel can go and not have competition from Microsoft."
"He added: "Whatever size that market is, I'm sure Corel is going to get most of it. The interesting question is whether Corel can make any money on these fringe markets." |
