Canonical Is Reportedly Considering An IPO

[Deavir]

I wish them luck. Despite what the rest of the armchair business people here say.

I agree. For the size of the company they take on pretty big projects. They always seem half baked, maybe an infusion of money will help them with momentum. I disagree with some decisions (MIR) but they draw new users probably more then any other company. My first distro was debian then a month or so later Ubuntu with the so much easier to use installer came out, the multimedia prompt to install and driver install prompt for non-free. This was all a big deal at the time, I feel they did move the ecosystem forward.

[chrisb]

The problem is a company that is losing money going public is about one of the worst ideas there is. If someone attempts it, they better have a damn good gambit that they're planning for making money to back it up. Otherwise it's just going to the guy who is already in a hole and tossing him a shovel (which then happens to be on a collision course for his head).

Around 70% of companies are money-losing at IPO time. It's not that important to investors. What investors care about are the forecasts about how much more money the company will make in the future. For example, Box.

[xeekei]

We also need Canonical. I am not an Ubuntu user, but they are the only ones with a remote shot at making Linux on the desktop matter. Even if you believe Ubuntu is the worst distro, it is still better than Windows having 90% of the market. If we could just break 10% it would change a lot.

[Luke_Wolf]

Around 70% of companies are money-losing at IPO time. It's not that important to investors. What investors care about are the forecasts about how much more money the company will make in the future. For example, Box.

Keep in mind that the mass majority of them fail.

[gens]

You mean large and profitable?

catering to a bunch of whiny shareholders and the related politics never helped anyone

[duby229]

We also need Canonical. I am not an Ubuntu user, but they are the only ones with a remote shot at making Linux on the desktop matter. Even if you believe Ubuntu is the worst distro, it is still better than Windows having 90% of the market. If we could just break 10% it would change a lot.

I do sort of agree with you. IMO I don't like Canonical as a company, but even I admit that Ubuntu has been good for linux in the fact that it draws a userbase. So for that matter I hope this IPO works out well. It would be a terrible loss if linux as a whole lost Ubuntu's userbase.

[mike4]

Hmm seems I need to check Red Hat's stock prices. Never did I believe, but why not buy Canonical if there's money to make...
Something alike Apple 1000% plus is welcome :-)

[Doodzor]

A company that has not made a profit since it's creation 10 years ago , now wants to take on what effectively amounts to uninsured micro-loans, presumably to attempt to expand their operations... Shuttleworth are you actually actively trying to destroy your own company? Is that what Mir was really all about? Because this right here is basically guaranteed to kill it. You're going to get a big IPO since you're canonical and thus a popular name, and then you're going to try to expand, and everyone is going to pull out on your already unprofitable company and then because the money is no longer there and you over extended yourself you're going to crash, and Shuttleworth won't be able to bankroll you.

Stocks don't work how you seem to think they do. Investors don't get to just take their money back after buying stock. The worst thing unhappy investors can do is all try to sell their stock at the same time which will tank the price. But Canonical keeps all the money they made from those stock sales. They are just in a weaker position to get more money in the future from stock sales. If Shuttleworth gets enough money from IPO to finish his grand design, then unhappy investors aren't going to change that at all.

[ElectricPrism]

The problem is a company that is losing money going public is about one of the worst ideas there is. If someone attempts it, they better have a damn good gambit that they're planning for making money to back it up.

Operating in the red is a terrible introduction, I totally agree.

It seems to me that the waters and borders could get murky really fast in regards to competitors buying Stock in Canonical - Microsoft or Apple would jump at the opportunity to buy stock in Canonical and set out to derail Ubuntu from ever being serious competition to Windows / OS X. Eventually Canonical could be snuffed out of existence much like PearOS, Nokia, etc... - I realize this isn't a direct buyout, but when people have their money comingled in your venture you become a dancing performing monkey.

Additionally, Canonical & Ubuntu are big Linux names - we all benefit when they succeed, this whole IPO thing makes me very concerned.

[rikkinho]

Operating in the red is a terrible introduction, I totally agree.

It seems to me that the waters and borders could get murky really fast in regards to competitors buying Stock in Canonical - Microsoft or Apple would jump at the opportunity to buy stock in Canonical and set out to derail Ubuntu from ever being serious competition to Windows / OS X. Eventually Canonical could be snuffed out of existence much like PearOS, Nokia, etc... - I realize this isn't a direct buyout, but when people have their money comingled in your venture you become a dancing performing monkey.

Additionally, Canonical & Ubuntu are big Linux names - we all benefit when they succeed, this whole IPO thing makes me very concerned.

why concern? if mark will maintain the majority of the company! openstack and server is already made profits. the problem is the desktop, maybe with new investiment, some from hardware companies is what canonical needs to grown. PearOS is a only guy distro who gives up and come with the story of big sell