Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Oracle Corporation (ORCL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hueyone who wrote (17860)	1/16/2003 5:10:07 PM
From: MeDroogies	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 19079

I have no idea. I guess he would. I prefer software to hardware. Hardware is too easily commoditized. Look at how everyone was going nuts when chip making left our shores in the 80's and went to Japan. In retrospect, that turned out to be a lucky break for the US. Software licensing is a great business. First of all, it is similar to media licensing. Both sides know the costs and benefits after a deal like that is signed. If you can't manage a business like that, you have no skill whatsoever....OR you're a lousy negotiator and signed a bad deal. When I look at certain licensing deals, it's usually pretty easy to see who got the better end of the deal - assuming there is one. Licensing deals SHOULD be win/win.

To: hueyone who wrote (17860)	1/17/2003 1:37:09 AM
From: Hardly B. Solipsist	Respond to of 19079

Yes, I agree with his points. Another thing that I like about this business is that software is in its infancy. In the time that I've been a programmer I've gone from being cramped by big machines to having trouble making use of the resources on $1K home machines, so there is enormous unused (and growing) capacity. And even when software development becomes more mature (we're barely in our infancy, in my opinion), there is what appears to be a near infinite backlog of demand. I think that the demand for software is more elastic than the demand for entertainment, and I don't see that industry reaching saturation any time soon. This isn't to say that the market for specific kinds of software, such as databases, won't mature in the not too distant future. But software companies that don't stagnate will have plenty of growth opportunities until long after I'm dead.