Hate to rub your nose in it Pup, but YOU'RE WRONG!
Mr. Puppet muses:
<< I thought that there was no need to explicitly state the obvious, but it appears that BonniesGuy missed it: This offer for free code conversion is not bringing in any customers.>>
The Long's didn't miss it; we recognize it for the Nega-Hype that it is. Not only is your "obvious" not evident, it is CLEARLY WRONG and MISLEADING as it relates to the Zitel/MD "try and buy" program which has been extremely effective. You ask:
<< Where are the y2k customers going? The customers are worried about the y2k vendors' credibility and are going with the large established brand name consulting houses.>>
Reeaally? (spelling for emphasis Whitey.) Large established brand name consultants like Arthur Andersen, BDM, EDS, IBM? Interesting, because despite having those big guns ALREADY UNDER CONTRACT
(see nitaac.nih.gov ) the National Insitutes of Health has solicited a proposal to solve their Y2K that specifically included a product developed by a "little company" named Matridigm that was marketed directly to them by a "little company" named Zitel. It is a FACT that FDC had to first establish a VAR relationship with Zitel before it could respond to an NIH request for a proposal - under an existing indefinite deliverable contract - to address the Y2K problem as it relates to 26 Member Intitutes running code on under a shared "Corporate Systems" environment. (Funny how these "minor" issues tend to add time to the Sales Cycle; good thing we Longs are a patient group.)
Let's review Pup:
1) Virtually all of the "the large established brand name consulting houses" are either contractors or subcontractors to NIH or have done work for one of the Member Institutes in the resent past.
2) NIH asked for a proposal that incorporates the use of MD's product.
3) The request for proposal resulted from a successful "try and buy" setup and run by Zitel.
Additionally, I have a hunch (conjecture, no facts, just a good 'ole hunch as Andy would say) that given the similarities between the FDC and Northrup VAR announcements that MD completed a successful "try and buy" with the Army and NOC was directed to establish a VAR relationship with MD.
Finally you say,
<< The y2k industry is repeating the patterns we've seen with so many other fractionated industries coming of age. A few big players get bigger while the marginal players shrivel down and disappear.>>
Right, I missed the relationship between the Y2K industry and the merging of giants in other industries at the peril of smaller players. Maybe you and another long-term Short from the Southeast can further analyze the parallels between the growth of the CSX and Norfolk Southern Class I Railroads at the peril of smaller roads like the Seaboard Coast Line, Florida East Coast, and Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac as it relates to current players in the Y2K market. Golly, don't I wish I had majored in Econ.
Have a great weekend folks. Don't worry about Zitel on Monday. Big news tends lately to hit Friday afternoons at 3:25 EST.
Bonnies Guy |
