AOL Looking To Buy Redhat?
from the wow dept
If you didn't realize (and how could you not?) that the world is turning into AOL-TW vs. Microsoft, here's another data point for you to think about. AOL is apparently talking to Red Hat about buying them. AOL selling Linux? Does that seem odd to anyone? Would they kill Red Hat off like they killed Netscape? Or would they somehow make Red Hat into AOLinux where the clueless could actually use Linux, but not really do anything with it? And, if they did that, would it come complete with pop up ads? So many questions. Update: I guess we should include a link to the denial from "unnamed sources" saying that no deal has been discussed.
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"killed netscape"
Since when did AOLTW "kill" Netscape? They bought them and saved them from bankruptcy.
Without AOLTW, instead of having a bad version of Netscape, we'd be using old versions of Netscape. (oh, wait, that's what people *are* doing...)
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Things that are and things that should be:
Cisco acquiring Red Hat (rather than AOL)
Next, let's consider what will probably happen:
In a vain effort to stop their stock price slide, AOL attempts to "reposition" themselves by buying companies for whom they have very little understanding of how their particular market niche acutally works. The recent departure of their primary CEO is an indicitaive sign (like rats jumping from the ship before everyone else knows it's going to sink) of the comming of the second harmonic of the big tech bubble burst. After all, AOL is a tech super-tanker who's turning radius could encompass an entire fleet of smaller, more nimble .com style startups that have already reaped the whirlwhind.
When AOL goes up in flames... it won't just be a one day entry on fuckedcompany.com... it's going to be an Enron Texas Style(tm) parrrtaieee..
The cool thing about linux is that... well:
Linux is dead; Long live Linux!
I never like Red Hat as a distro anyway....
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This reminds me...
Next up, buy emachines, or some cheap machine making company and sell AOL Computers.. that do nothing but connect to AOL and the Internet.
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Makes you wonder...
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Why does it have to be JUST one comapny there Rod?
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