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Technology Stocks : DSS: DLT finally open for trading -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam who wrote (72)	9/30/1999 9:41:00 PM
From: Z Analyzer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 488

When QNTM started talking about SDLT, they were talking mid-1999. I don't believe anyone expected mid-2000 for volume. I don't believe I still have my notes from that long ago. As an update to my last post on EXBT, the ASIC that was supposed to have been in last Friday is expected tomorrow, back on the prior schedule. <<As for the "unresolved issues" that you keep referring to: frankly, there could easily be unresolved issues for everyone concerned with this inflection point in tape drives. Do you think that LTO will get everything right out of the chute? Or Exabyte for that matter? The questions you have about SDLT could easily be asked about them as well. We'll have to see how it turns out.>> M2 qualification units are expected in about a month with revenue shipments mid-November. This is a very different situation than SDLT which is much further out. EXBT is saying they haven't talked with anyone who has seen a SDLT, the same thing I heard from someone else a while ago. M2 is an far simpler evolution which will be produced on the same assembly line as Mammoth. Roughly 300 have already been produced on the regular assembly line. This problem ASIC came to EXBT on Jan 13th and was highly functional enabling alot of testing to continue. By the Apriil 14th conf call, 175 M2s had been produced on the regular assembly line. I don't believe there are any major issues left if this ASIC works. In short, to assume that everyone started their programs at the same time and are of equal complexity, making first to the finish line a random event, strikes me as a gross oversimplicacation. EXBT has always maintained M2 was a simple evolution and QNTM went to lengths in their product announcemt to discuss their 4 or 5 new technologies incorporated in SDLT. -Z

To: Sam who wrote (72)	9/30/1999 10:08:00 PM
From: Z Analyzer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 488

Sam, Just reviewed my notes from QNTM's April 27 conf call- "Super DLT on track for eval shipments early 2nd half 1999 and volume later in year." The present schedule is pretty significant slippage without an acknowledgement by managemet. And I'm pretty certain if I went back to 1998 notes that I would find an even earlier time frame planned. I've said before that I've found management less than honest on various issues and this is but one example. DLT 7000 was a year late and I don't recall management ever acknowledging a problem. And lets not remind ourselves of the perpetual disappointments in both the high end and heads business. As for continue griping, if the tracking stock was done while DLT was unchallenged king of the hill, you and I would be rich. -Z