Upside: A year after the Linux IPOs Jul 26, 2000, 11 :26 UTC (0 Talkback[s]) (4206 reads) (Other stories by Sam Williams)
"Like a major league scout recalling a star prospect's first professional outing, ABN
AMRO open source software analyst Keith Bachman still harbors bittersweet
memories of last year's Red Hat (RHAT) initial public offering."
"When the Durham, N.C.-based company hit a home run on its first time at bat,
jumping 371 percent in its first day of trading on Aug. 11, 1999, Bachman -- then an
analyst with W.R. Hambrecht & Co. -- was instrumental in the company's open
source investment efforts. By Christmas, W.R. Hambrecht would have a leading
stake in the impressive Andover.Net IPO and minority stakes in two of the year's
biggest blockbuster openings: VA Linux (LNUX) and Cobalt Networks (COBT)."
"Still, as investors raced to jump on the Linux bandwagon, Bachman, a financial
observer with a better grasp of Linux business fundamentals than most, admits to
feeling a bit of concern over the high expectations associated with Red Hat's home
run in August."
