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Technology Stocks : Corel - Investors with no Humor -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: A. Reader who wrote (634)	5/20/1998 10:56:00 PM
From: A. Reader	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1094

Corel's survival still up in the air Industry watchers are starting to think there will be no fairy-tale ending for Corel, no hero on a white horse coming to the rescue. The company is continuing to slide and its salvation may come in the guise of a takeover, not a turnaround. "It's just like a desperate man that's clutching onto things that might support his weight in the water," says Richard Morochove, a Toronto-based computer consultant. "Every few months, Corel has a new magic wand that it waves in an attempt to save the company." But the magic will have to be pretty sophisticated to save the Ottawa-based Corel Corp. The company hasn't been in the black since the last quarter of 1996, when it recorded net income of $6.5 million. And despite a pledge by CEO and president Michael Cowpland that 1997 would be "a banner year," last year turned out to be one of the bleakest for a company that was once the darling of the Canadian computer industry. Five straight losing quarters and a $104-million write-down of outdated WordPerfect software have left the company reeling. Cowpland has promised Corel will be profitable by the end of the current fiscal year. Nevertheless, some shareholders are raising questions about Cowpland's future with the company. "I view Cowpland as the Pollyanna of the computer industry," Morochove says. "Things are always great. Corel's stock price is down? Well, he says, then that's a tremendous buying opportunity." Despite talk by Don Sylvester, Corel's senior vice-president of sales, about an "orderly divestment of non-core businesses," industry experts say the company has to do something about tumbling sales. Indeed, if Corel is concentrating on its main products, then shareholders must be concerned about the drop in sales during the first quarter of 1998. Sales for that period were $45.5 million, less than half of the $93.7 million the company recorded during the first quarter of 1997. Sylvester says the company's focus on the core aspects of its business will be reflected in the bottom line. "We're very focused on true end-user demand," he says. "We've built a professional, confident sales force. It's our contention that software, more than ever, requires the skill set that is akin to managing consumer packaged goods. The technology isn't enough to optimize your success." ...... Note: The rest of this article is worth reading too. Regards to all - Kurt plesman.com

To: A. Reader who wrote (634)	5/22/1998 12:13:00 PM
From: Mark Meytin	Respond to of 1094

This is by far the most flawed index that I've seen. Of course notepad will be on top of the list - Windows 95 doesn't even give you the opportunity not to install it. They freely mix components of the operating system with freeware with shareware with commercial apps. How many people use Installshield directly, other than just to install some other pieces of software? And how come web browsers aren't on the list, while ICQ is? I don't know what does this index say about Corel, but it sure tells me not to trust Media Metrix, since they are simply incompetent. -M-