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 : Novell (NOVL) dirt cheap, good buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Paul Fiondella who wrote (26242)	3/23/1999 12:57:00 PM
From: DJBEINO	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42771

Forget portals: Novell's new way to shop:iChain:iChain:iChain:iChain Networking giant will unveil iChain to integrate e-shopping components for commerce sites. zdnet.com +++++++++++++= Novell touts partnerships, products The company uses BrainShare gathering to detail its technology directions. zdnet.com

To: Paul Fiondella who wrote (26242)	3/23/1999 10:35:00 PM
From: Frederick Smart	Respond to of 42771

Paul..... >>In fact I think we can all be proud of this thread when in its best moments it becomes a forum for the exchange of significant ideas.>> Companies that listen to end users - shareholders and individuals alike - WILL become the leaders of this "new age". I'm getting tired of typing THE INDIVIDUAL - but's that's all there is. Scott Lemon was a pioneer in this regard. He risked a lot because implicitly he knew the keys to new kingdoms were somewhere in the forest of disgust that was growing into an ugly jungle. I was there and, yes, Paul you were unmerciful to the core - 10,000 lashes of infamy to you and the band of virtual investment Darth Vadars. But thankfully, you did cross over to the other side, being one of the last of that original gang - Joe, Salah, Steve et. al.- to make it back alive. You guys had a lock on negativity, dishing it all around, burning it into the heart and soul of guys like Scott, me and others. Why do I share ideas on these forums?? Because ideas are the currency of this "new age" and if an investor is going to support AND invest in a company, they better take responsibility into their own hands to get inside the company's business model and share some value added from the world of ideas - contacts, suggestions, brainshare, mindshare....etc. Intellectual property?? Forget it. In this "new age" intellectual property behind a lot of things has to be given away first BEFORE people will take notice - not necessarily the code secrets, but the overarching concepts that can be condensed to a napkin. This week confirms that Novell is THE FIRST technology company I've come across that is offering pioneering leadership behind this coming "Age of the Individual" - there I go again....damn. Staying true to this model means that they are, by default, mapping their business plan to the true internet model - opening up, sharing, giving, etc. - which places them in an enviable poisition to be a partner to ALL and a competitor to none. When the public internet arrived on the scene, there WAS no competition to this medium for it's true spirit is open and non-proprietary. The recent e-commerce wave has brought us shadings of the old business model - with portals battling portals, etc. Who cares?? Just like Windows battling Apple or UNIX.... Who cares??? Non of this crap matters anymore. Devices, OS's, software, hardware and slimware all will soon become familiar stage props for without THE INDIVIDUAL nothing really matters - there IS no show, etc. So technology is moving out of the world of opera - tragedy, death, heartbreak - and onto Off Broadway where we can take our shoes off slump in our chairs and be awed by the natural acting ability of people, and less the drama of the pageant. Does anyone get on the cover of WIRED for toaster technology? Does anyone really care anymore about the toasterheads keeping that baby on the cutting edge. NO! We simply EXPECT continued progress and innovation or as they say, "you're toast" - yawn....... Same thing will happen with Internet technology and the world of IP. We are still right at the threshold of a "connected world" where individuals - not govts, cities or states - will control and add value to information and data BEFORE the feds even get a chance to get their mitts on it, much less understand it. I can see web communities unbundling right smack into our local neighborhoods - where there are guides who check the state of our city tree trimming program, garbage collection, snow removal - block by block with no quid pro quo for there IS no inside information bottlenecks which led to points of influence, etc. Thanks to companies like Novell, local and neighborhood-based individual leaders will find these new server-centric productivity tools, information apps and bandwidth bots jump out at them - screaming for the chance to be used and loved, God help us ALL...... I can see hundreds of virtual "Good Humor" trucks ringing their bells across our webtops, begging for someone to notice, etc. Nothing will happen with any of these shining, slicing and dicing digital wonder apps until THE INDIVIDUAL finally takes notice and finds something that's so simple and so basic that he or she would be brain dead to think of anything else by comparison. The rise of server apps in this world of exploding bandwidth will be incredible to watch. We are seeing just the tip of the iceberg with these new sites everyday on the web. Just wait for these sites to really become true interactive media and information conduits in their own right. But I guess that's why the media companies have been snapping up portals. Perhaps they know the old game can be continued: passive viewership that's predictable, dumb, etc. Which leads me back to where I started - Paul. The former film student - perhaps film critic - who can slice and dice with the best of em. I'm proud to have him on this virtual tribe, sharing, giving and taking - whips, chains and all.... That's it for my soapboxing. GO!!

To: Paul Fiondella who wrote (26242)	3/24/1999 12:10:00 AM
From: PJ Strifas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42771

<< In fact I think we can all be proud of this thread when in its best moments it becomes a forum for the exchange of significant ideas. Probably most of you don't remember that there used to be a time when employees of Novell were afraid to visit this site for fear of retribution.>> I have something to add to this train of thought even though I'm still a rookie here at SI (not yet a year) but earlier today I had the most amazing experience. Here at BrainShare there's something called Novell Connecting Point which is groups of PCs where BrainShare attendees can swipe their ID badges and have digitalme log them on. Well, through this setup, Novell does some surveys which are tied to giveaways (everyone wants to get freebies). To collect your freebies, someone swipes you card and checks your "report card". So I had some time to kill and stood in line, this guy swipes my card and exclaims he was hoping to run into me here at BrainShare. He explained that he and some other fellow Novellites (?) lurk here on SI and are quite impressed with us all. I think that's a very positive thing for both parties because they can get some good feedback from investors and techies alike. We on the other hand sometimes get a chance to get some good news on upcoming products (or technologies). Now only if we can get Dr. Schmidt to log on and . . . Peter Strifas