To: Tom Frederick who wrote (7667 ) 10/30/1998 4:38:00 PM From: Michael Baron Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 15313
Tom, I agree. But most, if not all, of the "timelines" regarding progress on actual harware/software has come (albeit secondhand) from MS, usually in response to shareholder phone calls or email. News of PRs is something else. Some have been in print as "real" PRs, and some have been reported by thread contributors secondhand, but as accurately as possible, I believe. I think the problem, and this is totally my own speculation, lies with hard- and software glitches, and, perhaps more importantly, getting potential clients to sign on the dotted line in this very squirrely economy. It is a new way of providing INTRAnet capability to a company (outsourcing rather than building and maintaining it oneself), and I think the business climate just has not been very favorable for signing on to new ideas which entail commitments that bind one's future to a brand new (unproven) company. The technology sword cuts both ways: Do I commit to a contract now, or wait for the new(er) stuff? Is it cheaper to sign on now, or wait for the hardware itself to come down in price? My own feeling is that the stock is doing quite well in the total absence of ANY news, revenues, or anything, really, to buoy it up. All we have at this time is the feeling, backed up by a lot of good (best available, anyway) research and support from our friends, that this is a winner. I don't know how long that feeling can last without ANY results that are verifiable, but I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt through this quarter, and maybe into the next. We really need something solid from management soon. All the best, M.