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Microsoft Writes Off Corel

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the the-end-of-the-road dept.

PizzaFace writes "Microsoft resuscitated Corel two and a half years ago, paying $135 million for a quarter of Corel's equity ownership. Corel talked then about bringing its products to .Net, and even hinted that it might use its Linux expertise to port .Net to Linux. Since then, Corel gave up on the Linux business and isn't talking anymore about .Net, but is instead riding its XML hobbyhorse. So Microsoft is selling its stake in Corel to a VC firm for $13 million, taking a 90% loss on the investment."

8 of 391 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, what news... by japhar81 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Company dies, investors seek an exit... Next on slashdot: Pants put on, one leg at a time.

    1. Re:Wow, what news... by mickwd · · Score: 4, Funny

      I prefer not to wear anything when I'm sliding the pole into the Bat-cave.

    2. Re:Wow, what news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      where is that meta mod "scary" when you need it.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Corel Linux's best feature by trmj · · Score: 4, Funny


    That cool little bean bag penguin that came in the box.

    You can still get one of these at your local Staples store for $4.50 on clearance, just ask if they have Corel WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux.

    --
    Work sucked, until it became unemployment, when it became slightly more tolerable. -Tet
  4. I've got it! by generic-man · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Build unsuccessful Linux company
    2. Get purchased by Microsoft for X dollars
    3. Get sold by Microsoft for X/10 dollars
    4. If Microsoft has money left over, go to step 1.
    5. Microsoft goes bankrupt!
    Microsoft lost $123 million on the Corel deal. If they do this just 326 more times, they'll be bankrupt!
    --
    For more information, click here.
  5. Re:Missing the point by Kevin+Stevens · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wouldnt go that far. Corel was pretty much dead as it was. It would have helped MS a great deal more to leave the 'competition' in place and let it get its 8% marketshare so it could tell the DOJ about how its fragile market dominance could topple at any second. If thats true... then MS should start to look at itself as an Operating System and Software company, and not a Window's company, and port Office to Linux and make its own linux Distro. Sounds crazy? Yeah it does. But I can guarantee that Joe Schmoe wont mind trying linux out if MS backs it. Put on top of that fat service contracts for support and apple as the only niche player... and things work out well.

  6. Details of Price Hike by handy_vandal · · Score: 4, Funny

    Considering Microsoft's capitalization, that means that future Windows XP licenses will cost .000001 US/cent more in order to recoup the Corel adventure losses...

    Sure, Microsoft's cost works out to .000001 US/cent per license count. But MS will actually charge $9.99 more per license count. Why? For the same reason a dog licks its balls: because it can.

    --
    -kgj