what do we think of rkn, page-3

Thanks for that, this_is_it

I am not sure I totally agree with you regarding people not adopting ASP for their accounting purposes, many people are using the web for the day to day banking needs already.

Having worked in the banking sector, in the software development area, it is clear that they would like to get more functionality into their sites.

I certainly dont think it will happen in a hurry, if fact it may be as far away as 5 - 10 years, before we see mainstream adoption.

I can still remember people having the view that sensitive documents would never be sent via email for security reasons, yet senstive spreadsheets are emailed every day now.

MYOB and Quicken certainly have a strangle hold on the Australian SME market place and I would suspect that MYOB would be planning their own ASP model going forward.

I would agree with you about seeing how they fair, as I think history has taught us that one bad release can be a deathblow for any software company, and both compaines will be getting ready for their next offering, probably for release for the first half of next year.

However both are pretty mature companies now and it is unlikely that they will make a major blunder.

I have used both products over the years and I think they are both pretty good. I use Quicken these days and must say I am looking forward to the ASP offerings.

However I am a self confessed early adopter and I can't see that changing.

I am not convinced that new entrants will be able to gain a foothold in this market easily. Brand trust is becoming one of the most important factors within the Internet.

As you say, gaining their trust to host accounting data on somebody else's server is going to be one challenge, proving that you are the company to do that will be another.

I notice with interest that both Microsoft and Oracle are very focussed on accounting and CRM as an ASP offering in the US, if either of these companies turn their attention to the SME market place, it could prove interesting for the incumbent leaders.

I would also be loath to dismiss IBM as a potential player in this space, they seem to keep gaining momentum on a daily basis.

Do any of the TA people have a view on RKN, I am not looking to get into the market again until next year and will be watching this stock closely.