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Tax Prep - Profit & losses:
[Suppressed Sound Link]
"We do have to remember, as I was recently reminded, we only deal with realized trades; not money we lost that was just on paper. We can carry forward realized losses 100% against new stock market gains."
You might wish to consult with a certified tax preparation accountant.
While you are taxed on all profits accrued & realized during any fiscal year,
You are ONLY allowed to take a deduction on $3,000 of realized losses per year.
Any others may be carried over & used as deductions the following year. (or more, if applicable.)
Microsoft leads the way... again.
[Suppressed Sound Link]
excellent!
"Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Chief Financial Officer Joseph Bronson on Monday embraced the move by Microsoft Corp. to issue restricted stock instead of stock options to employees, saying he would like to see the semiconductor equipment leader make the same move.
Bronson, speaking to analysts at a microchip equipment industry trade show, also waved off speculation that the growing cash balance at Applied Materials portends a dividend. He suggested the cash gives the world's largest maker of microchip production tools the option to make a major acquisition.
Shares of Applied Materials were up 77 cents, or 4 percent, to $18.16 in mid-day trading on Nasdaq, on a strong day for semiconductor stocks and the stock market in general.
Bronson said he would do "everything in my power" to convince the board and new chief executive, Michael Splinter, to move toward issuing restricted stock instead of stock options.
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) said it would abandon stock options, to issue actual shares of stock that come with restrictions. There is growing pressure on companies to count the estimated cost of stock options against profits, a move that could hit technology companies especially hard.
"I applaud Microsoft's decision," Bronson said. "I'm going to spend a lot of time discussing this with Mike and the board."
Applied Materials, based in Santa Clara, California, held $5.2 billion in cash and short-term investments at the end of April. Bronson, asked at an analyst meeting whether the company planned a dividend, disavowed the idea, saying the company had better uses for cash.
"It gives us an opportunity to do something big if we need to, if we want to," Bronson said, suggesting a major acquisition was a possibility.
Sound thinking from the folks at AMD. Companies that don't adopt this role model either have something to hide from their shareholders, or they've anchored the company's future to a concrete weight and tossed it off a pier. Good thing there's no large bodies of water in Culpertino.
That's great news, Windows Man!
ahem... and a cool name for a company, as well...
$$$ACE$$$
"SteelCloud Signs OEM Agreement with Microsoft
Monday July 14, 8:02 am ET
Company Perfects New Appliance Platform with Proprietary SteelCloud SC2 Software
DULLES, Va., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SteelCloud Inc. (Nasdaq: SCLD - News), a leader in the development of network security appliances, today announced they have entered into an OEM Agreement with Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT - News). Under the terms of the contract, SteelCloud's new line of branded security appliances developed around the proprietary SteelCloud Secure Console (SC2) software, will utilize a special embedded version of Microsoft's Windows Server.
"Choosing embedded Windows over Linux for our new security appliances was a deliberate choice," explained Brian Hajost, SteelCloud Executive Vice President. "With SC2, Windows Server delivers higher performance, scalability, and reliability. From product differentiation to performance optimization to rapid deployment and ease of management, SC2 and embedded Windows Server have catapulted SteelCloud's branded appliances into a distinct leadership position in the surging and vital network security appliance market which IDC estimates will reach $3.8 Billion by 2006. With SC2 development completed, SteelCloud is now in a position to create new security appliance applications in a fraction of the time and cost it would normally take."
"SteelCloud's new line of appliances, built on the Windows Server platform, is designed to meet the highly demanding needs and 'hands-free' administration customers require from an appliance solution," said Jim Hebert, General Manager, Windows Server division, Microsoft Corp. "We are delighted to have important partners affirm the value of the Windows Server platform by making conscious business choices to deliver innovative new solutions that deliver greater operational efficiencies and add value to customer's IT investments."
The new security appliances will be demonstrated at CA World in Las Vegas, NV on July 13 - 17, 2003. Hosted by Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA), one of the world's largest software companies, the event brings together thousands of CA customers and channel partners from all over the world. The SteelCloud appliances will be shown in the CA Partner Pavilion and feature CA's eTrust security software solutions for antivirus gateway protection and for intrusion detection.
SteelCloud's ready-to-deploy, hardened enterprise-class network security appliances, which combine proprietary hardware, software, and embedded Windows Server with the following features:
* Windows Server provides a proven comprehensive operating system platform
delivering seamless integration, industry-leading scalability, solid
reliability, and maximum hardware performance in a multi-processor
environment.
* SteelCloud Secure Console (SC2), proprietary web-based management
software transforms Windows Server into a highly secure, hardened, and
streamlined OS highly tuned for each application. The Company has
achieved application throughput increases of more than 50% by
implementing SC2.
* SteelCloud's flash-based Rapid Exchange Module (rXm) combined with SC2,
provides the user with archival copy of all user set-up data in order to
support the ability to propagate and exchange appliances in a matter of
minutes.
The Company's contract with Microsoft protects SteelCloud's intellectual property interest in its SC2 software. The Company's antivirus gateway appliance models AVG 3000 and 5000 will be available in late July. The intrusion detection appliance models IDS 3000 and 5000 are slated for delivery in the early fall."
Re: Oregon State parks info-
I felt it was my duty as a taxpayer to fire off the following email to the Oregon State Parks Department.
"This is to register my opposition to the QuickTime-only design being implemented in this program.
The internet was intended to be platform-neutral, and there is no justification for excluding potential users who may be using other online media viewing systems.
I object to taxpayer funds being used in such a wasteful fashion as to promote a system which less than 3% of the internet surfing public uses.
In the future I suggest that you code for either the Real Networks Real One, or Microsoft's Windows Media Player 9 platforms. Both of which have substantially larger pools of users."
I wonder if I'll get a response.
$$$$ace$$$$
IT came from Gibson
and it's called an "ES 345" .
http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/classic/es345.html
A most excellent summary of the weeks MSFT news, Beelzeburp!
http://www.billandted.org/sounds/ea/eaexcellent.mp3
http://www.billandted.org/pics/ea/bteastage.jpg
$$$$ace$$$$
See if you can get by this:
Stock Buybacks strengthen the company & increase the earnings per share of the company's publicly traded stock.
Moving technical support jobs overseas decreases HR Spending & increases profit margins.
Eliminating redundant positions cuts HR costs as well.
These are all POSITIVES for the company. If you can get by these simple things, then a discussion with you can move on.
$$ACE$$
Are we some alternate world where things don't make sense?
Z2k+3 says "Stock buy backs are fruitless"
Unless you want to increase the earnings per share.
"and will go lower if the layoffs and India job move are true '
Last I heard, decreasing HR Resource expenditure, & reducing total operating costs were a GOOD THING. Hmmmm
"There only is one Z."
Yeah. and it's always been LAST, Behind every other letter. Spin on , Zed.
Whoa... Tulipz & I agree on something!
I think a massive stock buyback is most beneficial to the company as a whole... (of course visons of acquiring Adobe still dance in my head...)
$$$$ACE$$$$
Windows Man...That brought back memories...
" TipToe through the Tulipz...
Here is an article that summarizes it all better than I can..."
And Tiny Tim said, God bless us everyone... (as long as they're running Windows XP or Windows 2000)
http://www.geocities.com/michellesrockinwavpage/4.html
http://www.geocities.com/michellesgirlfiles/TiptoeThroughTheTulips.wav
$$$ACE$$$
So, Where's this Bombshell, Tulipz?
"But the immediate expensing of options could put a lot of companies out of business "
Yeah, and this affects Microsoft how???
You're making my point for me.
MSFT being totally transparent with regards to employee compensation is a GOOD THING.
It's a blatant display of the company's fiscal solidarity & strength.
If other companies would go out of business by being as honest with their shareholders, as MSFT is being, then maybe they SHOULD fold.
At least I'm not going to get all verklempt wondering if my B.O.D.is working in the shareholder's best interests, or the CEO's. (This could lead to an entirely new thread on why the B.O.D. of any company needs to be structure to be exempt from the influence of the CEO. Certain other company's that have their Board of Directors structured out of Pals of the CEO, his "Yes Men", & hack political has-beens are doing the shareholders no favors.)
If some little Grandma in... say, Seattle, has MSFT stock in her retirement account, Her fiscal future is alot more secure than if she invested in it's competitors, who all have astronomical P/E ratios.
If an executive needs to fly around alot, Don't waste the shareholders' money buying him a plane.
Buy that executive a handful of first class seats on JetBlue or ValueJet airlines, and then write those tickets off as an expensable tax deduction. You know,"cost of doing business items" are still 100% tax deductable.
"I also wonder why they have declined to address the Financial Times report about the 10 billion dividend? "
Hmmmm... Maybe because it's only speculation , and one of many plans being floated at this moment, with no definite decision being made one way or the other til the end of the year??? Y'think?
Relax... MSFT will be fine.
It's those other guys who need to worry.
$$$ACE$$$
P.S. MATT: I'm loving this "edit message" feature. Good Going!
W-L-D,re:POD "coloring"
"to minimize additional amp/cab coloring"
Flip the A.I.R. switch off. (it's located right between the 2 outputs.) That will eliminate any Cabinet modelling. You'd be surprised how many major label CD's have been recorded using POD in the last 3-4 years.
$$ace$$
an original Pod & Flextone prototype test pilot
Cotton- RE: Guitar Modelling Computer Interfaces.
Before you buy Amplitube, You owe it to yourself to consider the original "Amp Farm" . which is a bit more pricey, But the array of amp models, tones & effects are miles ahead of Amplitube.
Amp Farm includes TubeTone Amp Models developed from extensive studies of thirteen classic amps*: 1959 Fender Bassman, 1965 Fender Twin, 1964 Fender Deluxe, 1964 Marshall JTM 45, 1968 Marshall Plexi, 1990 Marshall JCM 800, 1960 Vox AC 30, 1963 Vox AC 30 with top-boost, 1994 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-overb combo, 1995 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier head, 1989 Soldano Super Lead Overdrive head, 1987 Soldano X88R Preamp, and 1996 Matchless Chieftain.
And, a big plus for you, it's Mac Native.
http://www.soundthinking.com/plug-ins/line6_ampfarm.htm
If price is that big of a thing... Try "REVALVER" which you can find a free "evaluation" version that doesn't expire, at:
http://www.alienconnections.com
It's basically a "build your own guitar rack system" without the brand names.
The all-around best solution, from my experience is to have a good stereo input sound card, the right input plug adaptors & buy a Line 6 POD... that way you aren't glued to your computer when wanting to use Pod's many modelled tones. You can plug it into any amp, any computer recording program, any P.A. , etc. And ALWAYS sound great. You can also plug in just headphones too, sparing anyone else the "5 Marshall stacks on 11 " volume. (That must be why my wife gave me mine as a gift.)
http://www.line6.com/products.asp?catID=3
http://www.line6.com/productpage.asp?productID=27
$$$ACE$$$
"There's nothing quite like the sound of a tortured Strat" Joe Perry 1975
What Bombshell, Tulipz?
Total compensation transparency?
I think who should be worried, is every other tech company, because MSFT has made the watermark by which all will be judged. Either you live up to it, or you don't. And I see few that will even come close.
Microsoft may have put the tiniest of bruises on itself, But they totally kneecapped IBM,Intel,Sun,Apple,Oracle,Real Networks, & AOL in the process.
Those will be the victims of this multi-warheaded Bombshell.
M.O.D. We should clarify.
A: There are 2 Zanny's here. The dated one Z2003, Who is the same one we've all come to know & loathe, AND One without an expiration date, who is not the the undated one elsewhere.
The non carbon dated one here is a direct contrast to the RB one...
This one seems like a pleasant and sober fellow, & I look forward to him insights.
If Z2k+3 can behave himself, he's welcome to participate. If not He'll expire long before his screen name date does.
I think if the message remains pure, the messenger will not matter.
B: Speaking of Messenger's... Has everyone moved to the 6.0 beta for MSN Messenger?
Isn't video conferencing even more awesome? Just this evening I had an opportunity to video recording studio tour for one of the musicians who's coming in to work on the CD I'm currently producing & engineering, while having the band leader in another chat window..
A quick 20 seconds of on camera time was enough to convince him there were plenty of vintage instruments for im to use, & he only needed to bring his favorite guitar, there were plenty others. A great studio time selling tool!
$ace$
Mackie, how about...
Chief Internal Technical Security Officer?
After all no one can trace & lock down a security issue like how I've seen you do it.
M.O.D. = A WMD in his own right.
As for our Pres: The U.S. has "W.", We've got "A&W". Root Beer, that is.
Anyone have a release date on MSFT's Media2Go?
$$$Ace$$$
Duke, Correct again.
MSFT has it's fiscal ship in first rate order on a magnitude that no other tech company can come close to touching.
In case you're not familiar with dealing with Z2k+3, think "jonkai minus the 100 gig hard drive of past posts".
Y'know what I'm sayin'?
$$$ace$$$
Thanks Matt !
I must say, I DO like this place, where the information can get across, without the "he said/she said" platform war nonsense. So nice to have proactive /reactive management!
And Burp, NICE HEADER with all the best links to cover all the FAQ's!
I knew you were the right guy for the job!
$$$ace$$$
your Dick Cheney for the Windows XP World
WM, I'll give him one chance to restore credibility, & repent.
Putting it down to an "honest mistake".
Keep in mind, There's a new sheriff in town.
Say it once, Say it twice, Third time's a charm :
BeezleBurp!,BeezleBurp!,BeezleBurp!
$$$ace$$$
"Sandworms? You hate 'em, I hate 'em too!"
You're right Windows Man :
I'd much rather have the ENTIRE article instead of one edditted by a poster with ulterior motives, attempting to skew the conversation. Perhaps "Z2K+3" would care to comment on this, the WHOLE article: original link included.
http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=26556
Education Market Lost, Apple Lays Down Multimedia Gauntlet
The relationship between Apple Computer and Microsoft nosedived again over the weekend when Apple responded to Microsoft's recent release of the Windows Media 9 Series with a scathing attack. Calling the product an "anti-standards" release, Apple noted that its own QuickTime 6 technology features compatibility with the already somewhat antiquated MPEG-4 video format, an industry standard of sorts. However, the Windows Media 9 Series video format far surpasses the quality and speed of MPEG-4, and Apple was likely responding to Microsoft's comparison (made at last week's Windows Media 9 Series launch) of Windows Media Video (WMV) 9 and MPEG-4, a comparison that doesn't cast Apple's product in the most positive light. Unfortunately for Apple, its anti-Microsoft attack arrived on the same day as a revealing study that indicates that Apple is in danger of forever losing the education market to Windows-based PCs.
"[Microsoft] believes they are so big that they can take away what consumers want," an Apple spokesperson said. "They believe their size and momentum can drive an entire industry in a proprietary direction with technologies built by Microsoft. That direction is very much opposite to where most of the industry is going. We wish Microsoft, like RealNetworks, would follow our lead in adopting and supporting industry standards. What's become very clear is that they [Microsoft] have become antistandards--it's not just antistandards, they are turning their back on standards."
However, as Microsoft representatives told me 2 weeks ago, the company made its WMV improvements partly at the request of moviemakers and other content creators, who want to see their productions delivered digitally in high quality and protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. WMV 9 delivers quality far in excess of MPEG-4--indeed, the company says that WMV 9 is capable of High-Definition-quality video with several discrete surround-sound channels--and already supports DRM protection.
Apple, as of yet, offers no such protection. "We agree that rights-managed assets are important to protect people's content," the Apple representative said. "We don't condone people stealing music, so we put in controls in our iPod, for example, that won't allow people to use it as a music shuttle. The DRM that we will pursue will be standards-based. We are actively working on DRM around MPEG-4, but it will be a DRM that is open to everybody, but closed from a security standpoint." Apple had no comment about when such technology would be available, however.
Apple also took issue with other Windows Media 9 Series features, claiming that similar features are already available to Apple customers. Those features include QuickTime's Instant-On functionality, which eliminates streaming buffering, and the iTunes 3 Smart Playlists feature, which automatically generates audio playlists. Windows Media 9 includes a feature called Fast Stream, which Microsoft introduced last December, that also eliminates streaming buffering, although it's an end-to-end solution that includes server and client components, unlike Apple's offering. And Microsoft's product includes features sorely lacking in QuickTime, such as the ability to automatically reconnect to a media server when a connection is lost. As for Smart Playlists, the Microsoft offering is far more powerful than the Apple one. Dubbed Auto Playlists, the Microsoft feature dynamically generates playlists for such topics as new music, favorite music, and least-played music, but also features a visual editor for designing your own autoplaylists (e.g., Elton John songs recorded before 1980 with a personal rating of four stars or more). But, more importantly, Apple is disingenuous when it suggests that Microsoft created the Windows Media 9 Series Auto Playlists feature in the 2 months since Apple released iTunes 3.
Sadly, on the same day that Apple made its public attack on Microsoft, market researcher International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed that Apple has lost significant ground in the education market, one of its few remaining strongholds. Apple, which once commanded more than 50 percent of this market, saw its share fall to 15.2 percent this quarter. Market leader Dell saw its share of the education market leap from 22.6 percent to 34.9 percent in the same time period, giving the company a commanding lead. Dell sells the Windows-based PCs that students are far more likely to find in the workplace, a key purchasing decision for schools now faced with real-world study requirements and dwindling purchasing power. "Windows became established as the de facto standard, [and] for a lot of reasons that meant that Windows costs were less," IDC analyst Roger Kay told "MacWorld Magazine" this weekend. "Apple's products are premium priced to begin with; although they have recently modified that, it's too little, too late."
Beezleburp!Beezleburp! Beezleburp!
Definitely think Beezle's the one to be Moderator.
My schedule's a bit too busy for it. But thanks for the honor of Nomination.
Matt, BeezleBurp would be an EXCELLENT Moderator.
JMHO
$$$ACE$$$
sgolds, Nice follow up... eom
$$$ACE$$$
Sgolds, here's another article on it, NO Premiere for Mac.
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/07/07/adobe/
" Adobe drops Mac support in new version of Premiere
By Jim Dalrymple jdalrymple@maccentral.com
July 07, 2003 8:35 am ET
Adobe Systems Inc. on Monday announced a new version of its digital video application, Premiere. The new version adds features and is completely redesigned, but the company also dropped support for the Macintosh, citing financial considerations and Apple's continued foray into the software market as reasons for the decision, News.com reports.
Adobe's main competitor in the digital video editing space is Apple's Final Cut Pro. The new version, announced at NAB in April, became available last month and incorporated over 300 new features, according to Apple.
"If Apple's already doing an application, it makes the market for a third-party developer that much smaller," said David Trescot, senior director of Adobe's digital video products group. "I think you're going to find that more and more -- if Apple's in a software market, third-party vendors are going to skip it."
I don't write 'em, I just report 'em...
$$$$ace$$$
Hey, M.O.D.
Good to see you here too. (and Whino & Win Man as well.)
Aside from ADBE, anyone have any other thoughts on what might be , or should be on the MSFT shopping list? E/A? THQ? Buybacks of MSFT shares?
$$ ACE $$
P.S. Duke? If I remember correctly, you actually work @ MSFT, correct? I'd love to hear your thoughts on that subject.
Great explanation , Duke.
By the way, I have read your posts on S.I. for many years.
Always informative & entertaining. Thanks.
Ace
Hello Meme, Sorry to confuse you.
"I'm not sure I understand your abbreviated style of posting. Can you flesh out your thoughts a bit more?
Also, even with a $10 billion dividend payout, I think having some $36 billion in cash leaves alot of room for buyouts.
Has anyone calculated what that $10 billion payout would mean per share? Being subject to only a 15% tax now could foster alot more interest in buying shares. Today seemed to prove that.
Meme
Sorry, Meme ... To "flesh out" what I was saying before,
""ADOBE seems to be making smart decisions where to cut costs.(see todays news re:Premiere )
Adobe has decided to concentrate exclusively on the Windows XP platform for Adobe Premiere & is ceasing it's support of the Mac platform, due to the lack of fiscal return of coding for that platform.
here's the news: [b}Adobe ends Premiere Mac support
July 7 - 00:14 EDT Adobe today announced a new version of Premiere -- its digital video editing software -- that only runs on Microsoft's Windows XP, ending years of support for the Mac OS. "If Apple's already doing an application, it makes the market for a third-party developer that much smaller," David Trescot of Adobe said. "I think you're going to find that more and more, if Apple's in a software market, third-party vendors are going to skip it."
and the other news:
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200307/070703DVPARTNERS.html
Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced a new generation of digital video software products that take advantage of the power and ubiquity of Intel-based personal computers running the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system. Adobe® Premiere® Pro software, the most significant upgrade since the product's introduction in 1991, was introduced today along with Adobe After Effects® 6.0 and Adobe Audition™. These products join Adobe Encore™ DVD, announced in April 2003, to complete a new, integrated Windows based digital video workflow. (See separate releases for product-specific details).
The combination of Adobe's new video product line and powerful, affordable Intel-based PCs running Windows XP, deliver advanced professional video editing capabilities, once only available on expensive, proprietary systems.
"Microsoft and Intel have created an outstanding high-performance architecture for digital video and now, with Adobe's new roster of video applications, customers have the tools to generate professional-quality video, without costly proprietary video production systems," said Bruce Chizen, president and chief executive officer at Adobe. "Video professionals can rely on the personal computer to be a platform of digital video innovation and will see Adobe, Intel and Microsoft continue to work together, as we bring our empowering technologies to a new generation of videographers."
Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and Adobe Encore DVD have been engineered to take advantage of the Hyper-Threading (HT) technology pioneered in Intel's latest Pentium® 4 processor-based systems, while advances with Microsoft's Windows Media 9 series - such as high definition video and 7.1-channel surround sound streaming audio - are supported by Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and Adobe Audition.
"Intel Architecture-based personal computers are the leading choice for corporate professionals and content creators," said Craig Barrett, Intel chief executive officer. "Hyper-Threading Technology is one example of Intel processor technology that provides performance headroom for professionals who work with today's most demanding applications, such as the exciting new generation of video products from industry innovators like Adobe."
"We're delighted that Adobe is bringing to the PC mainstream capabilities that were once available to only a select group of video professionals," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft Corporation CEO. "Adobe's powerful portfolio of digital video applications ensures that Windows XP is not only the best platform for customers to enjoy digital media experiences across a variety of media, but also the best platform for developers who are creating them."
With an all-new integrated Adobe workflow on Windows XP, customers can transform video and audio into compelling stories, in an advanced editing environment beginning with Adobe Premiere Pro. Layered digital images for video can be created with Adobe Photoshop®, and then transferred to After Effects to design motion graphics and visual effects with the powerful compositing tools. Adobe Audition joins the Adobe product family to provide a complete multi-track recording studio to efficiently create professional-quality audio - which can be exported to Adobe Premiere Pro projects, Adobe After Effects, or Adobe Encore DVD, to author interactive multi-language DVDs.
THAT is why I ,IMHO , think Adobe would be a good acquisition. (just buy it & leave it be, to function as it does. Just like Great Plains.)
Also, I believe the 10 billion dollar figure is a ball park figure , amounting to about $1 per share as a dividend. My thinking is share buybacks, acquisitions, etc. are a much better, & ultimately more useful use for some of the MSFT war-chest.
$$$ ACE $$$
Well if I didn't believe it before,
I believe it even more now.
ADOBE seems to be making smart decisions where to cut costs.
(see todays news re:Premiere )
I'll say it again. Microsoft should ditch the 10 billion dollar dividend payout idea & pick up ADBE (who's total market cap is about 8.2 billion.)
Having MSFT own it is about the only way to ensure the continued coding for those other guys.
From a purely fiscal p.o.v. , ADBE won't make enough to bother with "them".
MSFT however, has a vested interest in keeping the competition at least on life support...
(See? There's still this other OS platform!)
JMHO
$$$ACE$$$
Microsoft Corp. is considering paying its shareholders a special dividend of more than $10 billion to reduce its $46 billion cash pile, according to the Web site of London's Financial Times, citing a report in its affiliated French newspaper, Les Echos.
Shareholders could receive the dividend in one payment or spread out over three or four quarters, an unnamed person close to the discussions told Les Echos. The company, recently under pressure to distribute some of its cash, is also considering stock buybacks, a major acquisition and higher ordinary dividends, the report on said.
Personally, I'd prefer they ditch the dividend idea, and do what I thought they should've done last October, when it was cheap. Buy Adobe. Or Pinnacle, or Digidesign. Now might be a good time to pick up Vivendi's game division, if it can be extracted at a decent price. Gates could even buy SGI for pocket change if he was so inclined.
ACE