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To: Doren who wrote (8074)	1/30/1998 8:21:00 AM
From: Rik Forgo	Respond to of 213173

Sounds reasonable ... but at what cost to Oracle? One of the Claris/FMP Inc. strings posted a message on the FMP message board (www.blueworld.com) that, in an off-handed way, scoffed at the Oracle assumptions. Here is his post: Date: 28 Jan 1998 11:43:26 -0800 From: david_mckee@claris.com (David McKee) Subject: [OFF] Now be good.... =) Hi All!, As you know, there are things a'shaking at Claris. I cannot comment on a lot of your questions but I'd like to hand off some comments for your meditation: 1) I'm still here, and plan to continue posting and contributing to the lists, for providing an unoffical spotlight on Claris / FileMaker Inc. polices/issues. However, due to the downsizing and restructuring, I will be extremely busy, gearing up for the exciting challenges ahead, as will all my co-workers in TechSupport. Please be patient. = ) 2) Those rumors about Oracle turned out false, didn't they! ; ) Just had to rub that in. "Rumors of my demise were premature" or something like that. ; ) 3) The layoffs here at Claris was done with tact and in a caring way. We're a family here, and will continue to be so. For a period in the future we will all miss the co-workers that are gone now, very much. No-one here at Claris was mistreated. It was a hard choice I applaud my management for being so caring and making the hard choices that had to be made. 4) FileMaker Inc. will responsibly reflect the Claris legacy. Claris customers WILL NOT be left in the dark. In techsupport, we will all be EXTREMELY busy trying to ensure not a single customer "slips through the cracks". 5) Any activity regarding FileMaker has NOT been impacted or dismantled. Issues like upcoming versions and product development are, to my knowledge, totally unaffected. In fact, as you may now, smaller companies often make changes much faster. And with the focus only on the FMP family, I wouldn't be surprised if inovation occurs more quickly. 6) Some people on the list will most probably gossip for some months now, and many of the rumors will be inflammatory but everyone here at Claris / FM Inc. are busy, working and gearing up for a bright FMP future. I'm taking a 2 week hiatus from the mailing lists to concentrate on the business at hand in the TS dept. See you all shortly. Thanks! - -David McKee, david_mckee@claris.com FMPro Product Team Lead, Claris Technical Support

To: Doren who wrote (8074)	1/30/1998 9:11:00 AM
From: Phillip C. Lee	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213173

Doren, My guesses on the reasons for Claris' consolidation into FileMaker are: (1)"Think Profit" is Jobs' number 1 target for the rest of '98, especially in the current Q2; (2)Application on Mac/WinTel was not Jobs' original territory. His key subordinates are only good at OS, systems software; (3)Apple's moved one step ahead towards merge or bought-out, the components missing for the best candidate of bought-out target will be another 2-3 quarters of good revenue/net income; (4)Where FileMaker is going to be depends on how it performs in the future. Based on its previous recorded revenue, it seems FileMaker is a profitable entity. However, it's not part of Apple's core business; Merging with Oracle is reasonable provided that the price is right. The main body of Apple still can run with significant revenue/net as the current trend continues; Apple should focus on its strong holds in Europe as well as Japan besides U.S.,especially, in Japan where the MacWorld is coming in Feb., and accounts for 10-15% of its total revenue. I believe Jobs will attain the fair to boost the sales in that key maket. Phil

To: Doren who wrote (8074)	1/30/1998 10:48:00 PM
From: HerbVic	Respond to of 213173

The buyout of FileMaker, though an intriguing scenario, was not the subject of my muse. I was thinking that the FileMaker Pro product competed with Oracle's own DBMS software and would be sold off to prepare for an Oracle DBMS/Rhapsody tie in. But I like your muse better. Picture a Rhapsody server with thin NC clients using FileMaker Pro NC and Oracle's DBMS. It sorta reminds me of the old days when the kitchen table was off limits because of the partially completed jigsaw puzzle. Good hunting, HerbVic