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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brian Malloy who wrote (39874)	3/26/2000 11:10:00 AM
From: t2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

Someone had posted a while ago that private lawsuits may not be able to use this ruling (assuming it is against MSFT) in their actions---at least it is not as easy as everyone thinks. Only rarely does the courts allow this. Maybe someone can clarify this for me.

To: Brian Malloy who wrote (39874)	3/26/2000 11:49:00 AM
From: Michael L. Voorhees	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

I have MSFT in trusts as a beneficiary. I have requested that they remove such, but to my chagrine it has not been removed to date. Until it is removed I will continue to publicize my views associated with MSFT's obvious RELATIVE lack of performance compared to other technology stocks as well as the NASDAQ 100 over the last year. One could certainly argue that this is a direct result of their business practices not the government. I really do not give a damn about their performance prior to their inclusion in my economic future. Inversely, if they do settle this law suit I would express my desire that they continue to be included in my investments.

To: Brian Malloy who wrote (39874)	3/26/2000 12:52:00 PM
From: johnd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

I take myself away from MDPS and just focus on MSFT. It is best to ignore the case and focus on MSFT without it. Give it 70 PE based on the 1.75 in earnings and the stock should be at 122 for the next 3 months. I know it will oscillate a few points +- based on emotions of the day. But around 65 PE or 70 PE, it is probably the center of gravity. Past record tell me 65 PE would be a good center point. That would still be 118 or so. This is why short term if it gets to 130 I am selling some. If it dropped below 104 I am an aggressive buyer.

To: Brian Malloy who wrote (39874)	3/27/2000 4:52:00 AM
From: puborectalis	Respond to of 74651

Microsoft set to debut digital jukebox today BY JON HEALEY Mercury News Staff Writer Microsoft Corp. is raising its bid for supremacy in the digital music arena today, releasing a preliminary version of software to record and store songs on a personal computer. The company's digital jukebox will be built into Windows Media Player, its software for playing audio and video files on a PC. That player, in turn, will be bundled with Microsoft's operating system and future versions of its Web browser, Internet Explorer. The move is another bid by Microsoft to one-up market leader RealNetworks, whose RealPlayer and RealJukebox programs are the most popular software today for audio-video playback and digital music storage and playback, respectively. For its part, Real tried to strengthen its hand abroad, releasing nine international versions of its software with native-language interfaces and links to local content. Rob Grady of RealNetworks stressed that his company has a huge lead in the PC jukebox field, with more than 29 million registered users and 100,000 more added daily. What Real doesn't offer, however, is a single program that can record music digitally onto a PC, play music from the Web or CDs, create playlists of songs stored on a computer, and play video from the Web. That's what the new version of Windows Media Player will do, said Kevin Unangst, group product manager for Microsoft's digital media division. It also emphasizes making each step in the process easy for consumers, he said. ``It's definitely very user-friendly, probably the most user-friendly thing I've seen coming from Microsoft,' said analyst Sujata Ramnarayan at the Gartner Group, a technology research firm. ``It seems more driven by user (needs) than technology or competition, for once.' The software, which will be available for free, is being released today as a ``technology preview,' meaning that it will have even more bugs and glitches than the usual test version that's made available to consumers. The program will challenge not just RealNetworks, but any company making software to record and play digital music files. It also suggests that Microsoft won't be promoting the music-recording software from San Diego's MusicMatch, a common choice for those deeply into the digital music scene. Dennis Mudd, chief executive of MusicMatch, said Microsoft told his company up front that it planned to produce its own jukebox software eventually, but that ``there would be room in the marketplace for less full-featured products as well as more sophisticated, more full-featured products.' The latter field, he said, is what his company has always focused on. John Gaffney, vice president of marketing for MusicMatch, said that whenever Microsoft moves into a new segment, ``ultimately the effect is, they make it bigger for everyone involved.' with the trial...........................'Once the judge rules that Microsoft violated the law, he will have to decide on a remedy -- a process that will likely take many more months. A final decision is expected around October, experts say. Microsoft has pledged to appeal an adverse ruling to higher courts. That leaves plenty of time for talks. Cases can be settled at any point, as the public was reminded a few weeks ago when a disabilities case settled while awaiting argument before the Supreme Court. But if Microsoft never settles it will be playing a high- stakes game. Any company that loses an antitrust case against the government faces big threats from private antitrust suits. Plaintiffs suing Microsoft could invoke an antitrust law known as the Clayton Act to rely on Jackson's findings of fact that Microsoft is a monopolist. They would need to prove only that they suffered damages from Microsoft, sidestepping the difficult task of proving the company a monopolist. If plaintiffs won, Microsoft would be liable for triple damages under antitrust law'