“The business of Linux can best be described with one word:
BOOM! It’s no normal boom, mind you. It’s a thundering boom, the
kind that’s shaking windows from Wall Street to Redmond. Investors
across the land are embracing the big Linux plays with a fervor and
the trend shows no lasting signs of reversal or weakness. Red Hat
got the big train out of the station, and Cobalt Networks was not
far behind. Why all the fuss? That’s an easy answer. Investors love
to bet on the future, and they see Linux as a big part of the
future financial landscape.”
“To be clear, there are many in the investment community who
are shocked and even appalled at the valuations of Linux-related
stocks. They point out unproven track records and minuscule sales
as compared to other stocks with prices like these. They moan and
groan and warn that it can’t last. They use scary sounding terms
like “speculative bubble,” implying that the tiniest prick
will burst the shell into a jillion pieces and end the ride for
those on board. They also get cricks in their necks as they stand
on the sidelines and watch the stocks soar ever higher into the
stratosphere. Then the market closes for the day, and they go home
and whine some more about how impossible the whole situation is,
despite the fact that they just witnessed not only the possibility
but the hardcore reality.”