Mike, let me correct you again! PTEC isn't just a BIOS company.
They have a 7-year exclusive BIOS development agreement with
Intel, who owns 80% of the PC microprocessor market. The
agreement calls for using PTEC BIOS on ALL Intel motherboards,
co-development of "plug and play" BIOS, USB, and DMI (the
basis of SYSF's SysWiz product). Intel bought 6% of PTEC recently.
SYSF has made most of their money in PCMCIA software for
portable PCs. One of the PCMCIA engineers at Phoenix posted
here recently a conversation that he had with a marketing manager
at SYSF. The guy at SYSF was amazed that PTEC didn't push
its PCMCIA products more, since their product was superior.
Most important (to the huge and irrational jump in SYSF's stock
price) is that they STILL have no track record in actual sales of
the PC "self help" or "call avoidance" product called SystemWizard.
Cybermedia, on the other hand, gives Phoenix an almost 2-year
jump over SYSF in actual sales. This is critical. It's one thing to
develop software in a lab, another to face over a million consumers
over a long period of time (kind of like comparing Clinton's draft
dodging to Bob Dole's war record and saying they both have
military experience). Phoenix/Cybermedia have the #1 consumer
PC manufacturer (NEC/Packard Bell) as their first OEM customer.
While SYSF is hurting so bad in USB that they are giving away
software drivers for free, Phoenix has entered an exclusive
co-development/marketing agreement with Compaq Computer.
They also recently bought out Virtual Chips, the most successful
PC macrocell developer (something like 70% of the market).
Intel and Compaq both are quoted as praising PTEC for their
agressiveness in this new connectivity market.
The reason I'm excited by PTEC finally promoting themselves is
because they would rather just build superior products and let
smart investors gradually catch on. SYSF on the other hand
apparently has a CEO with little or no integrity that likes to fluff
up his stock price on hot air. I'm amazed that SYSF's price has
continued to be suspended in thin air, just as I'm amazed that
Bill Clinton has such a big lead over Bob Dole. Both situations
stink, but I guess there are a lot of naive people out there.
I'll take 1/8 point rise any day! |
