Linux.com Article DB: Two Years of the LiNUX.COMmunity!

Meanwhile, the Linux world was heating up. Red Hat Linux's IPO shattered expectations and become an indicator of things to come, though of course no one knew that at the time. Suddenly, Linux was the hottest thing on the market. Companies scrambled to jump aboard the Linux train, and venture capital started rushing in. One community site after another was acquired by companies looking to get a foothold in the geek market: Slashdot and Freshmeat were the most visible examples, snapped up by Andover.net in a bid to become the Open Source community network. Internet.com started building its own empire, picking up Linuxnewbie, LinuxToday and others. The Atlanta Linux Showcase, while attracting nowhere near the number of attendees as the business-oriented LWCEs, had a never-before-felt atmosphere of excitement and anticipation among the 4000 hackers who attended. COMDEX added a Linux Business Expo to its Las Vegas show that attracted tens of thousands. There seemed literally no limit to the possibilities.

Computer manufacturers like Gateway, Dell, and Compaq jumped into the fray with announcements that they would ship boxes with Linux if requested, while companies with no product or plan, just names like LinuxOne, surfaced and filed for IPOs, hoping to cash in on the craze. Meanwhile, it was business as usual in the community as work on Debian Potato dragged on and plans were made for the 2.4 kernel. Linux.com added more sections to its lineup and more volunteers to its staff. Everyone wanted in on the action, and the winners were the community sites, enjoying amazing levels of funding and, more importantly, incredible community interest and support.

Gee. Remember when the big question was "How do we make money at this?" -Eric S. Raymond

As Linux stock fever heated up, so did acquisition fever. Red Hat bought Cygnus for $700 million in stock and began eyeing other companies. The spotlight would soon be stolen, however, by a pair of December IPOs that would make history.

Mere days before the Bazaar, (a trade show by and for the community opening in New York City) Andover.net and VA Linux Systems held back-to-back IPOs. Andover's stock would close at four times its opening price, while VA's skyrocketed 1000% from 30 to 300: The biggest IPO rise in NASDAQ history. Now Red Hat wouldn't be the only company with an eye for acquisition. Less than two months later VA and Andover announced a merger-acquisition that brought many of the community's favorite web sites together under one umbrella. Some rejoiced, others were apprehensive; no one doubted that it was one of the biggest stories in the open source world that year.

Originally Published: Monday, 14 May 2001	Author: Jessica Sheffield
Published to: interact_featured_articles/General	Page: 4/6 - [Printable]
Two Years of the LiNUX.COMmunity! Celebrate two years of Linux.com! Join us as we take a look back at how it all got started, where we are today, and where we're headed. Come on in for the whole the story from the people who lived it!

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Meanwhile, the Linux world was heating up. Red Hat Linux's IPO shattered expectations and become an indicator of things to come, though of course no one knew that at the time. Suddenly, Linux was the hottest thing on the market. Companies scrambled to jump aboard the Linux train, and venture capital started rushing in. One community site after another was acquired by companies looking to get a foothold in the geek market: Slashdot and Freshmeat were the most visible examples, snapped up by Andover.net in a bid to become the Open Source community network. Internet.com started building its own empire, picking up Linuxnewbie, LinuxToday and others. The Atlanta Linux Showcase, while attracting nowhere near the number of attendees as the business-oriented LWCEs, had a never-before-felt atmosphere of excitement and anticipation among the 4000 hackers who attended. COMDEX added a Linux Business Expo to its Las Vegas show that attracted tens of thousands. There seemed literally no limit to the possibilities. Computer manufacturers like Gateway, Dell, and Compaq jumped into the fray with announcements that they would ship boxes with Linux if requested, while companies with no product or plan, just names like LinuxOne, surfaced and filed for IPOs, hoping to cash in on the craze. Meanwhile, it was business as usual in the community as work on Debian Potato dragged on and plans were made for the 2.4 kernel. Linux.com added more sections to its lineup and more volunteers to its staff. Everyone wanted in on the action, and the winners were the community sites, enjoying amazing levels of funding and, more importantly, incredible community interest and support. Gee. Remember when the big question was "How do we make money at this?" -Eric S. Raymond As Linux stock fever heated up, so did acquisition fever. Red Hat bought Cygnus for $700 million in stock and began eyeing other companies. The spotlight would soon be stolen, however, by a pair of December IPOs that would make history. Mere days before the Bazaar, (a trade show by and for the community opening in New York City) Andover.net and VA Linux Systems held back-to-back IPOs. Andover's stock would close at four times its opening price, while VA's skyrocketed 1000% from 30 to 300: The biggest IPO rise in NASDAQ history. Now Red Hat wouldn't be the only company with an eye for acquisition. Less than two months later VA and Andover announced a merger-acquisition that brought many of the community's favorite web sites together under one umbrella. Some rejoiced, others were apprehensive; no one doubted that it was one of the biggest stories in the open source world that year.
	<< Page 4 of 6 >>