[ Thanks to Thomas for
this link. ]
“Larry Augustin, welcome to the Forbes 400 Richest People in
America list. Your seven million VA Linux Systems (nasdaq: LNUX)
shares are now worth $2 billion. A decade ago, when Augustin
started the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Linux computer maker, he had no
idea that he would one day take his company public amid Linux mania
on Wall Street.”
“After being priced at $30 a share, the Linux boxmaker opened
today at $299 a share, with more than a million shares traded in
first few minutes of trading. Then again, what can you expect from
a company whose ticker is LNUX? “This is absolutely absurd. A
million shares traded at the open, which means there were a million
buyers for this stock,” says Hugh Johnson, chief investment
officer at First Albany Corp., an Albany, N.Y.-based investment
bank.”
“A veteran of many a mania, Johnson says he has not seen
anything like this. These days, anything that touches Linux turns
to gold. Companies are falling all over themselves to become part
of the craze and to hold hands with the King Midas of the Linux
world, Red Hat (nasdaq: RHAT), whose own stock has skyrocketed more
than 425% since the company’s IPO in August.”