From Dow Jones Newswires -- April 6, 1998
Wind River Falls On Microsoft News, But CEO Positive
PALO ALTO -- Wind River Systems Inc. (WIND) found out very quickly what it is like to be caught in Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) glare ....
Wall Street's reasoning is that Wind River, a leader in the market for real-time embedded operating systems, soon will begin to notice competition from Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft. But it is a claim Wind River's Chief Executive Ron Abelmann disputes.
Abelmann told Dow Jones he believes his company has a technical advantage it can maintain over Microsoft. He said his top-selling VXWorks is smaller, making it more versatile, and quicker than what Microsoft hopes its software will be 12 or so months from now ....
Further, Wind River has a direct sales channel and is accustomed to providing the extensive service customers in the embedded market require, Abelmann said.
However, Microsoft, which usually sells software through distributors, has signed up a number companies to support its initiative ...
Abelmann said his company, which has an interest in the growing consumer market just as Microsoft does, is "not going to get bowled over cause we're sleeping at the switch." |
