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

To: Bill Fischofer who wrote (22383)	5/9/1999 12:04:00 PM
From: RTev	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 74651

. AOL allows me to access it via the net (even though it would prefer that I access the net via AOL) whereas MSN does not. Therefore unlike the MSN model, which is fatally flawed, AOL is technically able to deal with the emerging reality even if the adjustment will involve some wrenching transitions. How so? There may be some features of MSN Internet access that I don't understand, but it strikes me that it's the other way around. Virtually all of MSN is now a pure internet service. You can see any of it using any internet connection. AOL, on the other hand, has significant content -- message boards, chat rooms, and their proprietary email system -- that cannot be accessed from an ISP. Plus it uses a proprietary user interface that allows it to control what the user sees. AOL could be argued to have weaker content than MSN, which makes them highly vulnerable if they lose their user interface. You say AOL is a destination. That's just as true (in some cases more true) for MSN. Even without significant ISP subscriptions, it's the third-most-popular site on the net. What do you see as the "fally flawed" part of this model?

To: Bill Fischofer who wrote (22383)	5/9/1999 12:12:00 PM
From: blankmind	Respond to of 74651

Bill - I agree 100% with your assessment of AOL - In fact - every drop in PC price raises sales which raises MSFT's revenues - likewise, when the monthly sign-up to ISP fee is cut in 1/2, that will also get more folks on the web & buying MSFT's products; which raises MSFT's profits. And reduces AOL to rubble. - given all the tech companies, and all the inherent risks, the one I like the best is MSFT.