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Technology Stocks : America On-Line (AOL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tradesman who wrote (37637)	1/14/2000 1:07:00 PM
From: Rob S.	Respond to of 41369

I grant you that Case has shown great leadership and that AOL has outmaneuvered even the fearsome Microsquash. But rather than put things into terms of leadership being the reason for AOL's or Microsoft's success, I'd rather look at it in terms of the "being at the right place at the right time with the right formula or catalyst for success". On the one hand, AOL under Case's leadership has been able to establish itself in the emerging market for Internet service with a largely proprietary interface. However, that interface has ridden on the shoulders of the MS operating system and browser. Microsquash has ridden on the wave of open architecture PC systems as the standards barer. To a large extent, the tide is shifting toward the direction of AOL because PC standards are quickly being made far less important than open Internet standards and user preferences. As applications, collaboration tools, and communications flows increasingly over the Internet rather than being captive PC or of an Intranet, such things as file formats and proprietary text or graphics formats tend to diminish as an influence in buying decisions. That's why Bill is refocusing his efforts on realigning Microsoft to be more of an applications server provider than a packaged software company. Do or die but also new opportunities. The immediate perception among some analysts is that there is a new clash between MS and AOL or that both can't co-exist and thrive in the new environment. Microsoft has great ability in being able to assimilate others capabilities and promote them as their own "innovations". In some cases the way they have conquered new software methods and modalities may be unethical or even illegal (monopolistic) but it has also been extremely rewarding to the company and to it's investors. With Ballmer the Bully at the helm it doesn't look like that tact will change easily. The idea that there is a clash for supremacy and that only one camp can win is based more on history than reality IMO. The fact of the matter is that software, the Internet and users choices are tending far more to an open environment than to a single proprietary holder of conventions. Who will win out? I think both will as long as they remain keenly focused. The markets that will develop over the next 20-50 years are incredible.