VA Software
VA Software Corporation , formerly VA Linux Systems (and VA Research before that), is the provider of the SourceForge Development Intelligence application. Founded in 1993, VA Software is headquartered in Fremont, California. OSTG, the Open Source Technology Group, is a subsidiary of VA Software, also headquartered in Fremont. VA Software is notable because of its Initial Public Offering in December of 1999. The shares for the IPO were offered at $30, but closed their first day of trading at $239.25, a 698% return. However, this high-flying success was short-lived, and within a year the stock was selling at well below the initial offer price, in a classic example of the dot-com stock market bubble. As of 2004, this is still the most "successful" IPO of all time. Many authors of free software were invited to buy shares at the inital price offering as part of a friends and family deal. Using the stock symbol LNUX caused confusion, some day traders bought shares because they thought the company owned the rights to Linux.
External linksVA SoftwareCNET: VA Linux files IPO plans (9 October, 1999)Salon: Dissecting the VA Linux IPO (10 December, 1999)CNET: VA Linux leaves hardware, lays off workers (27 June 2001)
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