Dr. Michael C.J. Cowpland, CEO of Corel -- the hot Canadian software maker that is challenging Microsoft -- discussed this question Mar. 18. He was online with William C. Symonds, BW's Toronto bureau manager.
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OnlineHost: Welcome to Business Week Online! Tonight's guest is Michael C.J. Cowpland, CEO of Corel, that hot Canadian software maker. Corel last year acquired WordPerfect from Novell, and now it's challenging Microsoft in office suites and Java applications. Mike Cowpland is here to answer your questions, along with BW's Toronto bureau manager, William C. Symonds (Wcsymonds), who covers Corel.
JackBW: Good evening to all of you on AOL, and welcome, Mike Cowpland -- delighted you could be with us.
Corel10: Good to be here.
JackBW: Hi to you, too, Bill Symonds of BW in Toronto.
Wcsymonds: I'm also glad to be here.
JackBW: I'm Jack Dierdorff of BW Online, your moderator. Bill, will you ask the first question for tonight's conference?
Wcsymonds: Yes. Dr. Cowpland, how can a company as small as Corel compete with Microsoft?
JackBW: David and Goliath!
Corel10: Customers are always attracted by the best technology at an excellent price. Also, our development team is about 1,000 people, which is above critical mass -- so we have a big enough team to compete.
Wcsymonds: How are your plans for a new version of WordPerfect 8 coming along?
JackBW: Corel bought WordPerfect from Novell last year.
Corel10: Very well. We will be shipping the first Beta by the end of the week, and we have some super new features, as well as tight integration between components.
JackBW: HySa in the audience asks this one.
Question: Where do you see Microsoft in the next 5, 10, and 15 years? Where do you see Corel?
JackBW: A really long-term question.
Corel10: Microsoft will be a global satellite company, and Corel will be king of Java. Microsoft needs the kind of growth that only AT&T and BT's [British Telecom] market will provide. We are convinced that Java will replace Windows as the dominant environment. Our Office for Java is a view of the future.
Wcsymonds: When do you believe Java will displace Windows?
Corel10: Within 18 months it will be the front-runner.
Wcsymonds: Does this mean Office 97 is the last gasp for the mighty Microsoft machine?
Corel10: Yes, we are at the apogee of the Wintel duopoly.
JackBW: LBlack1051 in Youngstown, Fla., craves some basic information.
Question: Java is an environment? I thought it was a graphical script language.
Corel10: It started that way, but it is evolving at lightning speed into an operating system.
JackBW: We have an unusual interaction here from Destradajr in Austin, Tex.
Comment: Q. How many Bill Gates does it take to change a light bulb? A. None. He will just make darkness an industry standard.
JackBW: I'm not sure that needs any comment! But maybe you might have a comment on Bill Gates, Mike Cowpland.
Corel10: Bill is very competitive, but so are we!
JackBW: ACEMANFL also points to the future.
Question: What will be the newest thing a year from now?
Corel10: How to handle Windows legacy software in the new Java world.
Wcsymonds: Can the Java revolution really happen that fast?
Corel10: OS/2 has 16 million users hungry for Java, as well as the whole Unix group and 3270 terminals. And that is just the beginning. We also have 100 million Win3x and 60 million DOS users who will love to get modern drag-and-drop software -- in total, 240 million seats that have not yet upgraded to Win95 (over $500 billion in hardware).
JackBW: I'd be interested in Corel's definition of the differences HySa asks about here.
Question: What are the key differences between Java and Windows?
JackBW: Now, what's the quick and dirty on the difference between Java and Windows?
Corel10: Java will play on all platforms and all chips. Write once, play anywhere is the mantra for Java.
Wcsymonds: How do you expect Microsoft to react to Java?
Corel10: Delicately -- a strong Java will weaken Windows' monopoly.
JackBW: Another question here from LBlack1051.
Question: What language does Java use to access the CPU/operating system?
Corel10: Each system creates its own Java Virtual Machine -- a standard Java "socket" that any Java app can play in. It is easy to do and only takes a few weeks for each chip or platform, due to Java's elegance
JackBW: Here's a comment from out in the AOL audience.
Comment: Fun and exciting user interface is what people want -- if the Java language can pull a graphical DOS interface, it should be the answer for future computer uses.
JackBW: Any comment on the comment just above?
Corel10: Java will soon play on DOS machines with a $40 Sun chip.
Wcsymonds: Who is Corel working with to promote Java?
Corel10: Sun, Netscape, IBM, and more.
Wcsymonds: Do they all share your vision that Java will displace Windows?
Corel10: Absolutely! The amazing thing is that IBM can move that fast at $70 billion in sales!
JackBW: EPaulAdams in Hollis, Okla., has a comment to which you might have a reaction.
Comment: Graphical DOS? That is what we had with Win 3x and Win95. What we need is speed.
Corel10: Yes, but that is what the $40 board from Sun will do -- Java at high speed on DOS.
JackBW: Next, a question from DRidge4161.
Question: Software needs are so fluid -- how do you adapt to a dynamic market?
Corel10: By having an agile team that is constantly watching for new trends.
JackBW: And now a question from ZSDman.
Question: How would you characterize the stability of Java?
Corel10: Improving rapidly. Each JVM [Java Virtual Machine] is different, but they are all developing in parallel.
JackBW: ROSEM1101 has a WordPerfect question.
Question: How will WordPerfect Office 8 compete with Office 97 in terms of UI [user interface] and feature set?
Corel10: We think it wins in most areas and has the new property bar, giving a leap in productivity.
Wcsymonds: How much will WordPerfect 8 cut into Office 97's market share?
Corel10: We achieved over 50% share in retail for four months with version 7, and 8 should do even better.
JackBW: Have there been any tangible signs that MS is looking over its shoulder at Corel?
Corel10: Yes. Steve Balmer has stated that we are their top threat.
JackBW: And you have every intention of keeping it that way, I'm sure.
Corel10: It shows that we are effective!
JackBW: Well, that brings us to the end of our allotted time here on AOL.
Corel10: Thanks for the opportunity!
JackBW: Thanks to Dr. Michael C.J. Cowpland, CEO of Corel, for telling us about his exciting software ventures. And thanks to Bill Symonds of BW in Toronto for being online with us, too. We appreciate the audience questions.
Transcripts of this and all BW Online conferences and chats are available soon after the event. Look for them under Talk & Conferences on the BW Online opening screen. Thanks again, Mike Cowpland, and goodnight to all!
Copyright 1997 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
