I don't think the FBI,NSA, or any arm of the government can stop US citizens from using encryption precisely because the US government has labeled it a munition. Thus it is an arm and because of the 2nd amendment we have a constitutional right to use encryption. Also by this argument the government can not ask us to give them the keys either as that would be the same as taking our guns from us which is against the 2nd amendment.
Microsoft is worried because if the Judge makes a ruling then it is admissible evidence in about 600 other civil cases brought by the companies and people harmed by microsoft. If they reach a settlement the judge's finding of fact are not admissible. So we really want a decision.
I think the most interesting point here is that although linux had 25% of number of units sold the amount of revenue from Linux is nonexistent compared to the revenue MS generated with NT w/37% of units sold. This has to be a warning shot fired across the bow of all software companies that downward pressure on software margins is on the horizon and I don't mean a little bit of downward pressure. Of course this is really good news for the consumer. You might actually get your money's worth finally. But I don't think M$'s revenue stream is going to remain intact forever. I would guess it will still take another year before you see the effects in the M$ revenue stream.
Search on DoubleClick INc. All the executives and major shareholders can be found there. Then lets find their email addresses on yahoo or whereever and let them know they suck. I pulled up who the key executives, how much they make,etc... It is below. Lets post this stuff and let the executives know how it feels. ################################################## ############ KEVIN J. O'CONNOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DOUBLECLICK INC. 41 MADISON AVENUE, 32ND FLOOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10010 (212) 683-0001 DEPENDENCE ON KEY PERSONNEL The Company's future success depends, in significant part, upon the continued service of its key technical, sales and senior management personnel, particularly Kevin J. O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kevin P. Ryan, President and Chief Financial Officer, Dwight A. Merriman, Chief Technical Officer, Wenda Harris Millard, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales, John L. Heider, Vice President of Engineering, and Barry M. Salzman, Vice President, International, none of whom has entered into an employment agreement with the Company. The loss of the services of one or more of the Company's key personnel could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition. The Company's future success also depends on its continuing ability to attract and retain highly qualified technical, sales and marketing, customer support, financial and accounting, and managerial personnel. Competition for such personnel in the Internet industry is intense, and there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to retain its key personnel or that it can attract, assimilate or retain other highly qualified personnel in the future. The Company has from time to time in the past experienced, and expects to continue to experience in the future, difficulty in hiring and retaining candidates with appropriate qualifications. See "Management". The Company was formed in January 1996 through the contribution of assets by Kevin J. O'Connor, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, Dwight A. Merriman, the Company's Chief Technical Officer, and the DoubleClick Division of Poppe Tyson, a subsidiary of Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, Inc. ("Poppe Tyson"). The Company has grown from 13 employees as of March 31, 1996 to 171 employees as of December 1, 1997. From January 23, 1996 (inception) through May 1996, the Company's operating activities related primarily to developing the DART technology and the DoubleClick Network, and recruiting personnel. During the same period, substantially all of the Company's revenues resulted from Internet advertising sales on a commission basis on behalf of the Netscape and Excite Web sites. For the period from January 23, 1996 (inception) through December 31, 1996, such commissions constituted 16.5% of the Company's revenues. All ads sold on behalf of the Netscape and Excite Web sites were delivered directly by such entities, as their Web sites were not on the DoubleClick Network. The Company no longer arranges for the placement of advertisements on a commission basis. MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS AND OTHER KEY EMPLOYEES The executive officers and directors and other key employees of the Company, and their ages and positions are as follows: NAME AGE POSITION - -------------------------------------------------- --- ----- -------------------------------------------------- --- Kevin J. O'Connor.................................... 36 Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors Kevin P. Ryan........................................ 34 President and Chief Financial Officer Dwight A. Merriman................................... 29 Chief Technical Officer and Director Wenda Harris Millard................................. 43 Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales Stephen R. Collins................................... 32 Controller and Assistant Secretary John L. Heider....................................... 40 Vice President of Engineering Barry M. Salzman..................................... 34 Vice President, International David N. Strohm(1)................................... 49 Director Mark E. Nunnelly(1).................................. 39 Director W. Grant Gregory(1).................................. 56 Director KEVIN J. O'CONNOR has served as the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since its inception in January 1996. From December 1995 until January 1996, Mr. O'Connor served as Chief Executive Officer of Internet Advertising Network ("IAN"), an Internet advertising company which he founded. From September 1994 to December 1995, Mr. O'Connor served as Director of Research for Digital Communications Associates, a data communications company (now Attachmate Corporation), and from April 1992 to September 1994, as its Chief Technical Officer and Vice President, Research. From its inception in May 1983 until its sale in April 1992, Mr. O'Connor served as Vice President, Research of Intercomputer Communications Corp., a software development company. Mr. O'Connor received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. KEVIN P. RYAN has served as the Company's Chief Financial Officer since June 1996 and as President since July 1997. From January 1994 to June 1996, Mr. Ryan served as Senior Vice President, Business and Finance for United Media, a licensing and syndication company representing comics, columnists and wire services to over 2,000 newspapers around the world. From April 1991 to December 1993, Mr. Ryan served as Senior Manager, Finance for EuroDisney, and from August 1985 to September 1989, Mr. Ryan was an investment banker for Prudential Investment Corporation in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Mr. Ryan received his B.A. in Economics from Yale University and his M.B.A. from Insead. DWIGHT A. MERRIMAN has served as the Company's Chief Technical Officer since February 1996, and served as its Vice President, Engineering from the Company's inception in January 1996 until February 1996. Mr. Merriman has served as a Director of the Company since its inception. From December 1990 until August 1995, Mr. Merriman was a software engineer for Attachmate Corporation. Mr. Merriman received his B.S. in Systems Analysis from Miami (Ohio) University. WENDA HARRIS MILLARD has served as the Company's Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales since October 1997, and served as the Company's Executive Vice President, Marketing and Programming from July 1996 to October 1997. From August 1994 to July 1996, Ms. Harris Millard served 41 as President and Group Publisher of SRDS, a marketing and media information company. From July 1993 to July 1994, Ms. Harris Millard served as Senior Vice President and Publisher of Family Circle Magazine. From June 1992 to July 1993, Ms. Harris Millard served as Senior Vice President and Group Publisher of Adweek Magazines, and from 1987 to June 1992, Ms. Harris Millard served as Publisher for Adweek Magazine. Ms. Harris Millard received her B.A. in English from Trinity College and her M.B.A. from Harvard University. STEPHEN R. COLLINS has served as the Company's Controller since January 1997 and as Assistant Secretary since June 1997. From October 1992 to January 1997, Mr. Collins served in a variety of financial positions for Colgate-Palmolive Company, a consumer products company, most recently as Associate Financial Director of Colgate-Palmolive Romania. From July 1988 to October 1992, Mr. Collins was an auditor for Price Waterhouse LLP, a public accounting firm. Mr. Collins received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Alabama. BARRY M. SALZMAN has served as the Company's Vice President, International since February 1997. From August 1994 to January 1997, Mr. Salzman served as President of BMS Associates, Inc., a consulting firm. From June 1993 to July 1994, Mr. Salzman served as an associate for AEA Investors, Inc., a principal investment firm. From June 1989 to June 1993, Mr. Salzman served as an Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. Mr. Salzman received his B.S. in Business from the University of Cape Town and his M.B.A. from Harvard University. JOHN L. HEIDER has served as the Company's Vice President of Engineering since March 1996. From June 1989 to March 1996, Mr. Heider served in various engineering capacities, including Staff Engineer and Senior Engineer, for Attachmate Corporation. Mr. Heider received his B.A. in Fine Arts from Wright State University. DAVID N. STROHM has served as a Director of the Company since June 1997. Since 1980, Mr. Strohm has been an employee of Greylock Management Corporation, a venture capital group ("Greylock"), and he is a general partner of several venture capital funds affiliated with Greylock. Mr. Strohm currently serves as a director of Banyan Systems, Inc., a software and computer peripherals company, and Legato Systems, Inc., a data storage management software company. Mr. Strohm received his B.A. from Dartmouth and his M.B.A. from Harvard University. Mr. Strohm was named to the Board of Directors pursuant to an agreement which will terminate upon the closing of the offering. MARK E. NUNNELLY has served as a Director of the Company since June 1997. Since 1990, Mr. Nunnelly has served as a Managing Director of Bain Capital, a venture capital group. Mr. Nunnelly currently serves as a Director of Stream International Inc., a computer software and technical support company, E-data Systems, a digital commerce company, SR Research, a credit risk assessment technology company, The Learning Company, an educational software company, and Dade International, a health care company. Mr. Nunnelly received his B.A. from Centre College and his M.B.A. from Harvard University. Mr. Nunnelly was named to the Board of Directors pursuant to an agreement which will terminate upon the closing of the offering. W. GRANT GREGORY has served as a Director of the Company since its inception in January 1996. Since 1988, Mr. Gregory has served as Chairman of Gregory & Hoenemeyer, Inc., a merchant banking firm. In 1987, Mr. Gregory served as Chairman of the Board of Touche Ross & Company, an accounting firm (now Deloitte & Touche). Mr. Gregory currently serves as a director of AMBAC Financial Group, a financial services company, HCIA Inc., a health care information company, and Inacom Corporation, a technology management services company. Mr. Gregory received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. 42 NAME AND PRINCIPAL POSITION(1) SALARY OPTIONS COMPENSATION - -------------------------------------------------- -------- ----------------- ------------------ -------------- Kevin J. O'Connor Chief Executive Officer................................. $ 126,250 -- $ 30,000(3) Kevin P. Ryan President and Chief Financial Officer................... 152,500 220,000 -- Wenda Harris Millard Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales............................................. .. 180,000 -- -- John L. Heider Vice President of Engineering........................... 101,280 29,000 -- Barry M. Salzman Vice President, International........................... 105,136 52,500 --
Once a GPL program has entered a market, like Linux has in the OS market, commercial revenue margins come under assault. The hugh margins that some may view as extortion cannot be maintained. Of course can one say that the "innovation" in windows has kept up with its cost. I don't think so. I think the majority of software companies are in for a shock as in the coming years the margins that they have enjoyed will be greatly reduced.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't think the FBI,NSA, or any arm of the government can stop US citizens from using encryption precisely because the US government has labeled it a munition. Thus it is an arm and because of the 2nd amendment we have a constitutional right to use encryption. Also by this argument the government can not ask us to give them the keys either as that would be the same as taking our guns from us which is against the 2nd amendment.
Microsoft is worried because if the Judge makes a ruling then it is admissible evidence in about 600 other civil cases brought by the companies and people harmed by microsoft. If they reach a settlement the judge's finding of fact are not admissible. So we really want a decision.
I think the most interesting point here is that although linux had 25% of number of units sold the amount of revenue from Linux is nonexistent compared to the revenue MS generated with NT w/37% of units sold. This has to be a warning shot fired across the bow of all software companies that downward pressure on software margins is on the horizon and I don't mean a little bit of downward pressure. Of course this is really good news for the consumer. You might actually get your money's worth finally. But I don't think M$'s revenue stream is going to remain intact forever. I would guess it will still take another year before you see the effects in the M$ revenue stream.
There must have been briefs filed bu both sides before this judge filed this. I would like to read the FSF's brief.
Kevin J. O'Connor(2)....................................... ...... 2,654,248 21.2% 17.9% Bain Capital, Inc.(3)........................................... . 2,182,060 17.7 14.9 Mark E. Nunnelly(4)....................................... ....... 2,182,060 17.7 14.9 Voting Trustee Committee(5)...................................... 1,493,854 12.1 10.2 Greylock Management Corp.(6)..................................... 1,246,884 10.1 8.5 David N. Strohm(7)......................................... ...... 1,246,884 10.1 8.5 ABS Capital Partners II, L.P.(8)................................. 1,246,883 10.1 8.5 Dwight A. Merriman(9)....................................... ..... 1,219,692 9.8 8.3 Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, Inc.(10)...................... 779,302 6.3 5.3 Canaan Partners(11)...................................... ........ 519,640 4.2 3.6 Weiss, Peck & Greer, L.L.C.(12).................................. 519,484 4.2 3.6 Venrock Associates(13).................................... ....... 519,483 4.2 3.6 W. Grant Gregory(14)....................................... ...... 494,949 4.0 3.4 Wenda Harris Millard(15)....................................... .. 30,000 * * Kevin P. Ryan(16).......................................... ...... 20,000 * * John L. Heider(17)........................................ ....... 9,000 * * Barry A. Salzman(18)....................................... ...... -- * * All directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)(19)...................................... ............. 8,563,647 68.0 57.5
Search on DoubleClick INc. All the executives and major shareholders can be found there. Then lets find their email addresses on yahoo or whereever and let them know they suck. I pulled up who the key executives, how much they make ,etc... It is below. Lets post this stuff and let the executives know how it feels. ################################################## ############ KEVIN J. O'CONNOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DOUBLECLICK INC. 41 MADISON AVENUE, 32ND FLOOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10010 (212) 683-0001 DEPENDENCE ON KEY PERSONNEL The Company's future success depends, in significant part, upon the continued service of its key technical, sales and senior management personnel, particularly Kevin J. O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kevin P. Ryan, President and Chief Financial Officer, Dwight A. Merriman, Chief Technical Officer, Wenda Harris Millard, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales, John L. Heider, Vice President of Engineering, and Barry M. Salzman, Vice President, International, none of whom has entered into an employment agreement with the Company. The loss of the services of one or more of the Company's key personnel could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition. The Company's future success also depends on its continuing ability to attract and retain highly qualified technical, sales and marketing, customer support, financial and accounting, and managerial personnel. Competition for such personnel in the Internet industry is intense, and there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to retain its key personnel or that it can attract, assimilate or retain other highly qualified personnel in the future. The Company has from time to time in the past experienced, and expects to continue to experience in the future, difficulty in hiring and retaining candidates with appropriate qualifications. See "Management". The Company was formed in January 1996 through the contribution of assets by Kevin J. O'Connor, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, Dwight A. Merriman, the Company's Chief Technical Officer, and the DoubleClick Division of Poppe Tyson, a subsidiary of Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, Inc. ("Poppe Tyson"). The Company has grown from 13 employees as of March 31, 1996 to 171 employees as of December 1, 1997. From January 23, 1996 (inception) through May 1996, the Company's operating activities related primarily to developing the DART technology and the DoubleClick Network, and recruiting personnel. During the same period, substantially all of the Company's revenues resulted from Internet advertising sales on a commission basis on behalf of the Netscape and Excite Web sites. For the period from January 23, 1996 (inception) through December 31, 1996, such commissions constituted 16.5% of the Company's revenues. All ads sold on behalf of the Netscape and Excite Web sites were delivered directly by such entities, as their Web sites were not on the DoubleClick Network. The Company no longer arranges for the placement of advertisements on a commission basis. MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS AND OTHER KEY EMPLOYEES The executive officers and directors and other key employees of the Company, and their ages and positions are as follows: NAME AGE POSITION - -------------------------------------------------- --- ----- -------------------------------------------------- --- Kevin J. O'Connor.................................... 36 Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors Kevin P. Ryan........................................ 34 President and Chief Financial Officer Dwight A. Merriman................................... 29 Chief Technical Officer and Director Wenda Harris Millard................................. 43 Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales Stephen R. Collins................................... 32 Controller and Assistant Secretary John L. Heider....................................... 40 Vice President of Engineering Barry M. Salzman..................................... 34 Vice President, International David N. Strohm(1)................................... 49 Director Mark E. Nunnelly(1).................................. 39 Director W. Grant Gregory(1).................................. 56 Director KEVIN J. O'CONNOR has served as the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since its inception in January 1996. From December 1995 until January 1996, Mr. O'Connor served as Chief Executive Officer of Internet Advertising Network ("IAN"), an Internet advertising company which he founded. From September 1994 to December 1995, Mr. O'Connor served as Director of Research for Digital Communications Associates, a data communications company (now Attachmate Corporation), and from April 1992 to September 1994, as its Chief Technical Officer and Vice President, Research. From its inception in May 1983 until its sale in April 1992, Mr. O'Connor served as Vice President, Research of Intercomputer Communications Corp., a software development company. Mr. O'Connor received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. KEVIN P. RYAN has served as the Company's Chief Financial Officer since June 1996 and as President since July 1997. From January 1994 to June 1996, Mr. Ryan served as Senior Vice President, Business and Finance for United Media, a licensing and syndication company representing comics, columnists and wire services to over 2,000 newspapers around the world. From April 1991 to December 1993, Mr. Ryan served as Senior Manager, Finance for EuroDisney, and from August 1985 to September 1989, Mr. Ryan was an investment banker for Prudential Investment Corporation in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Mr. Ryan received his B.A. in Economics from Yale University and his M.B.A. from Insead. DWIGHT A. MERRIMAN has served as the Company's Chief Technical Officer since February 1996, and served as its Vice President, Engineering from the Company's inception in January 1996 until February 1996. Mr. Merriman has served as a Director of the Company since its inception. From December 1990 until August 1995, Mr. Merriman was a software engineer for Attachmate Corporation. Mr. Merriman received his B.S. in Systems Analysis from Miami (Ohio) University. WENDA HARRIS MILLARD has served as the Company's Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales since October 1997, and served as the Company's Executive Vice President, Marketing and Programming from July 1996 to October 1997. From August 1994 to July 1996, Ms. Harris Millard served 41 as President and Group Publisher of SRDS, a marketing and media information company. From July 1993 to July 1994, Ms. Harris Millard served as Senior Vice President and Publisher of Family Circle Magazine. From June 1992 to July 1993, Ms. Harris Millard served as Senior Vice President and Group Publisher of Adweek Magazines, and from 1987 to June 1992, Ms. Harris Millard served as Publisher for Adweek Magazine. Ms. Harris Millard received her B.A. in English from Trinity College and her M.B.A. from Harvard University. STEPHEN R. COLLINS has served as the Company's Controller since January 1997 and as Assistant Secretary since June 1997. From October 1992 to January 1997, Mr. Collins served in a variety of financial positions for Colgate-Palmolive Company, a consumer products company, most recently as Associate Financial Director of Colgate-Palmolive Romania. From July 1988 to October 1992, Mr. Collins was an auditor for Price Waterhouse LLP, a public accounting firm. Mr. Collins received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Alabama. BARRY M. SALZMAN has served as the Company's Vice President, International since February 1997. From August 1994 to January 1997, Mr. Salzman served as President of BMS Associates, Inc., a consulting firm. From June 1993 to July 1994, Mr. Salzman served as an associate for AEA Investors, Inc., a principal investment firm. From June 1989 to June 1993, Mr. Salzman served as an Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. Mr. Salzman received his B.S. in Business from the University of Cape Town and his M.B.A. from Harvard University. JOHN L. HEIDER has served as the Company's Vice President of Engineering since March 1996. From June 1989 to March 1996, Mr. Heider served in various engineering capacities, including Staff Engineer and Senior Engineer, for Attachmate Corporation. Mr. Heider received his B.A. in Fine Arts from Wright State University. DAVID N. STROHM has served as a Director of the Company since June 1997. Since 1980, Mr. Strohm has been an employee of Greylock Management Corporation, a venture capital group ("Greylock"), and he is a general partner of several venture capital funds affiliated with Greylock. Mr. Strohm currently serves as a director of Banyan Systems, Inc., a software and computer peripherals company, and Legato Systems, Inc., a data storage management software company. Mr. Strohm received his B.A. from Dartmouth and his M.B.A. from Harvard University. Mr. Strohm was named to the Board of Directors pursuant to an agreement which will terminate upon the closing of the offering. MARK E. NUNNELLY has served as a Director of the Company since June 1997. Since 1990, Mr. Nunnelly has served as a Managing Director of Bain Capital, a venture capital group. Mr. Nunnelly currently serves as a Director of Stream International Inc., a computer software and technical support company, E-data Systems, a digital commerce company, SR Research, a credit risk assessment technology company, The Learning Company, an educational software company, and Dade International, a health care company. Mr. Nunnelly received his B.A. from Centre College and his M.B.A. from Harvard University. Mr. Nunnelly was named to the Board of Directors pursuant to an agreement which will terminate upon the closing of the offering. W. GRANT GREGORY has served as a Director of the Company since its inception in January 1996. Since 1988, Mr. Gregory has served as Chairman of Gregory & Hoenemeyer, Inc., a merchant banking firm. In 1987, Mr. Gregory served as Chairman of the Board of Touche Ross & Company, an accounting firm (now Deloitte & Touche). Mr. Gregory currently serves as a director of AMBAC Financial Group, a financial services company, HCIA Inc., a health care information company, and Inacom Corporation, a technology management services company. Mr. Gregory received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. 42 NAME AND PRINCIPAL POSITION(1) SALARY OPTIONS COMPENSATION - -------------------------------------------------- -------- ----------------- ------------------ -------------- Kevin J. O'Connor Chief Executive Officer................................. $ 126,250 -- $ 30,000(3) Kevin P. Ryan President and Chief Financial Officer................... 152,500 220,000 -- Wenda Harris Millard Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales............................................. .. 180,000 -- -- John L. Heider Vice President of Engineering........................... 101,280 29,000 -- Barry M. Salzman Vice President, International........................... 105,136 52,500 --
Once a GPL program has entered a market, like Linux has in the OS market, commercial revenue margins come under assault. The hugh margins that some may view as extortion cannot be maintained. Of course can one say that the "innovation" in windows has kept up with its cost. I don't think so. I think the majority of software companies are in for a shock as in the coming years the margins that they have enjoyed will be greatly reduced.
I read it and thought it was a great book. I would recommend it.