To better assess the direction of these commerce platform players, you need to know what lies ahead in the next six months or so.
Significant consolidation lies ahead, leaving room for five to six players.
Analysts are most bullish on BroadVision, IBM and Microsoft. They also point out that Open Market's once clear leadership seems to be wilting and that Netscape Communications Corp.'s e-commerce future remains ambiguous after its acquisition by America Online. With Oracle Corp., the question is whether products will actually walk the company's excellent talk. Niche products like Intel Corp.'s iCat are performing a Cheshire cat-style fade, transforming from product to service. Good rules-based workflow automation will become a mandatory feature in major server offerings, especially for content management.