To: Earlie who wrote (84457 ) 2/11/2000 1:34:00 PM From: Cynic 2005 Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 86076
biz.yahoo.com ------ Friday February 11, 1:17 pm Eastern Time Microsoft stock falls after report, Dell comments NEW YORK, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) shares fell in heavy trading Friday, dragging down major stock indices, as a study questioned whether Windows 2000 would interact smoothly with other software. Also raising investor concerns were comments Thursday night from Michael Dell, chief executive of Dell Computer Corp. (NasdaqNM:DELL - news) , that chilled some of the expectations for the release of Windows 2000, Microsoft's latest personal-computer operating system, due to be formally introduced next week. In afternoon Nasdaq trade, the shares were off 4 at 102, rising off an earlier intraday low of 99-3/4. Microsoft was the most active Nasdaq issue. Technology consulting firm Gartner Group said in the report one in four corporations moving to Windows 2000 would run into problems with the new system being compatible with existing software. The software upgrade is specifically designed for business customers Even so, analysts said the report raised no fresh issues. ''In reacting to the Gartner Group study, investors are reacting to a rehash of a story that is a year old,'' said Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Michael Kwatinetz. ''Are there people out there who don't know what's going on? Of course there are. This kind of news will affect the stock, but in a more temporary way.'' Gartner's Michael Gartenberg, author of the report, said the study was ''not meant to be a forum to release new and major findings. This is stuff we've been saying for quite some time.'' <<snip>> Dell said the Linux operating system, considered an alternative to Microsoft Windows, was gaining momentum, and that there was no rush of corporate customers upgrading hardware systems for Windows 2000. ''We don't see a massive immediate acceleration due to Windows 2000,'' said Dell. <<snip>>