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

To: Ibexx who wrote (5035)	2/6/1998 8:20:00 PM
From: Alan Buckley	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74651

Interesting article. It seems MSFT does a big re-org every time a significant product ships, in this case IE4. I like that, believing it's an anti-bureaucracy technique that helps prevent little fiefdoms from forming within the company. In this case I would guess Silverberg's absence has a lot more to do with it than DOJ posturing. This news about working with Nokia to get little WinCE devices manufactured is interesting also. A few years ago the joke was that MSFTs strategy was "Windows in toasters". We may actually see that in the next few years.

To: Ibexx who wrote (5035)	2/7/1998 12:32:00 PM
From: X-Ray Man	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74651

Except it's utter bullshit. Otherwise IE couldn't be developed for other platforms. MSFT is playing a game of chicken with DOJ. This should worry MSFT investors. It doesn't matter who you feel is right. Reality is that it will cost MSFT if it decides to play hardball with DOJ. If MSFT simply played the game, they would continue to make the $$$ anyway. Mark my words, or well bookmark them then, DOJ will redouble their efforts as a result and the courts will be more sympathetic, because the argument that time is running out to restrain MSFT will have more potency. This will mean greater likelihood of injunctions granted to DOJ. This is not in MSFT shareholder's interest, since a potential injunction against Win98 could result, and would likely have direct impact on share price. Or breakup of the company. I think MSFT took this move because they know DOJ is about to bring case to court against MSFT on advantages MSFT may have had regarding API over external developers. By folding IE group into OS group, they hope to claim now that no such situation could exist regarding browser developers, because they have now separate browser group, and anyway, it is impossible to separate groups now without hurting development of OS. That is, similar argument to what they are saying about code for IE and OS. But this will likely backfire, IMO. The danger with being too aggressive is that eventually your enemies may become numerous enough to do you some damage.