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

To: David Howe who wrote (67312)	4/15/2002 2:50:55 PM
From: John F. Dowd	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 74651

DH: Perhaps this is why Rick left: Microsoft Blames Confusion for Corporate Revolt By Gavin Clarke Microsoft Corp has blamed confusion over forthcoming changes to its licensing model for sparking a revolt among enterprise customers, who are threatening to throw out Windows operating systems and applications for cheaper alternatives. The Redmond, Washington-based company told Computerwire it will launch a wide-spread campaign this month to educate users, press and analysts and win support for its unpopular Microsoft Licensing 6.0 Program. The program is due to take effect on August 1. Rebecca Le Brunerie, program manger for worldwide licensing and pricing, said: "There's a fair amount of confusion out there. There will be tons and tons of direct mail this month, briefings with subsidiaries, adverts in local papers, seminars." Licensing 6.0 will fundamentally alter the way in which Microsoft charges large customers. The program will see customers with more than 250 seats pay in three-year cycles, with an option to upgrade at the end of that. Licensing 6.0 replaces existing PC-based licensing and volume-based programs for large customers. Under Licensing 6.0, Microsoft will introduce Software Assurance. Customers under its Select or Enterprise Agreement programs who also adopt Software Assurance can renew their three-year agreement for reduced cost. Customers who do not pick Software Assurance will renew their Select or Enterprise Agreements at full cost. The company believes the combination of Software Assurance and a three-year lifecycle for Select and Enterprise Agreement is cheaper for large customers than the current system. Le Brunerie said customers will receive new versions of products under their contracts, so they don't have to buy new software. "CIOs and IT managers don't want to have the financial spike associated with different product releases. They know that in the next three years they will have the rights to it," she said. "Software assurance is not a requirement. It is upgrade protection. That's confusing users." License 6.0, though, has proved massively unpopular. Announced in May 2001 and originally due to take full effect on October 1 2001, the program has been delayed until August 1 2002. As that date looms closer, though, a revolt is simmering among customers. A survey of chief information officers, chief technology offers and chief operating officers at 1,500 at corporations worldwide found 36% are unable to afford the changes. Thirty eight percent said they are seeking alternatives to Microsoft products. Linux, Unix, StarOffice and Novell's eDirectory were most often cited alternatives. According to the survey, conducted by ITIC and Windows NT and Windows 2000 specialist Sunbelt Software, 37% said they will not adopt Licensing

To: David Howe who wrote (67312)	4/15/2002 2:53:37 PM
From: jonkai	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74651

Amazing considering that AOL started with more than 30 million subscribers and MSN only 6.5 million. Raw numbers grew faster for MSN than they did for AOL during the most recent quarter. do you know how silly it sounds when a company says they had a higher percentage of growth, when they grew from 1 user to 2 users... compared to their competition who grew from 20 users to 26 users??? amazing when Mr. Howe falls for a press release full of inaccuracies from a company that routinely hires companies to put out written letters to their congressmen from dead constituents.... AOL had 27 million users in January of 2001.... proven with actual links..... corp.aol.com they had 33 million users as of Dec 2001.... 34 million as of March of this year..... do you have no shame.... actually believing press releases from a company willing to hire companies to write letters from dead people? worse, do you not do any research on your own? jon.