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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rarebird who wrote (32779)	9/6/2000 5:43:32 PM
From: Jeff Jordan	Respond to of 50167

>>This is a much needed correction in an overall up trend. << "correction" is such a severe word at this point....I understand the need for a 'pullback' in certain stocks<g> eitherway, I'm prepared for any forth-coming bargains.....let any irrational selling panic develop!<g> ...it's only natural to preserve profit! The trick is to know where the bargains are...although, I live by technical analysis....it has it's limits when emotions get involved. Charts only give you a clear piture of the aftermath....you need to determine if the result is logical.

To: Rarebird who wrote (32779)	9/6/2000 9:55:00 PM
From: GROUND ZERO™	Respond to of 50167

I agree... I'm looking for a snap back rally soon enough..... GZ

To: Rarebird who wrote (32779)	9/7/2000 2:24:01 AM
From: puborectalis	Respond to of 50167

F5 NETWORKS (FFIV) AS THE INTERNET becomes more densely populated, the problem of data networking has grown into much more than simply moving bits of data from point A to point B. Data are flying around the Web so fast that they can be piped to you from several different sites and over multiple pathways. How to make sure the site and pathway chosen are best? Enter F5 Networks. This Seattle company sells networking hardware that optimizes the way visitors reach Web sites. Users include popular destinations such as Nintendo's online store and clients of Web-hosting giant Exodus (EXDS). F5's product, the Big-IP, provides two important data-networking functions: traffic management and load balancing. As visitors hit a Web site, they request data that may be available on any one of several Web servers. Big-IP makes sure that no one server is overtaxed by the flood of traffic. At the moment, F5's stock is selling for 50 times next year's earnings. But the company's profits are expected to increase by more than 200% this year and 45% next year. As in most areas of networking, Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the competition. Its product, LocalDirector, is neck and neck with F5 in market share in terms of both units deployed (about 35% each) and revenue. However, Bob Lam, who tracks the company for Bear Stearns, maintains the upstart has the technological high ground. "While it can be cheaper to buy a switch from Cisco to do load balancing, the advantage with F5 is that many of the features go far beyond what a Cisco or Alteon WebSystems (ATON) box can do, including balancing traffic between different offices," says Lam. Microsoft, for instance, uses the F5 software to distribute traffic among different locations, he says. F5's strategic partnerships are key. While Cisco is also big in selling network switches and routers, F5 has been cutting deals with Cisco's competitors. It distributes the software code for load balancing and traffic management that ends up embedded in hardware — such as the switches built by another firm we profile here, Extreme Networks. F5 recently brokered an arrangement with Web service provider Akamai Technologies (AKAM) to build a special version of the Big-IP; it directs Web traffic to the part of the Akamai network that would be best for the Web surfer to visit. Big switch companies such as Cisco want to swallow up the functions of F5's products. So F5 must stay a step ahead by adding more functions to its appliances. And so far, it's been up to the task. In May it announced an agreement with hot startup Cacheflow that allows Big-IP not only to direct Web surfers to the proper servers but also to bump them to completely assembled copies of Web pages closer to the user. Those kinds of deals should set F5 apart, says Lam. "They've had a billion-dollar market based just on the [Big-IP]. With more product lines, they should be able to capture more dollars from each customer."