How Much Is Novell’s Linux OS Really Worth?

“Novell, the parent company of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server,
seems to have slapped a huge “For Sale!” sign on its front lawn.
It’s sad, but this famous enterprise OS maker may soon be little
more than a mildly interesting footnote to history.

“A few weeks back, the company received an unsolicited
conditional proposal from the hedge fund Elliot Associates to
acquire the 91.5 percent of Novell it didn’t already own for $5.75
per share, or around $950 million (net of cash). Novell’s board sat
and had a think about this and, surprise, surprise, decided the
company is worth more.

“Well, it would say that, wouldn’t it? It was hardly likely to
say that its business, which consists of little more than a
second-rate enterprise Linux distro, was worth less. The likes of
Novell never tell their shareholders to take the money and
run.”

Complete Story