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TrollTech to IPO?

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the unconfirmed-yet-still-interesting dept.

burninginside writes "Yahoo is reporting that Trolltech, the world's biggest producer of Linux software for mobile devices, may be heading public. 'Sources close to the company' said the move may come as soon as 12 months but the official word is still that it 'is not in our immediate plans.'"

2 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. Buy stock? by kanweg · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If so, as open source fans, should we buy stock to help ensure that Trolltech doesn't move off the right track?

    Bert

  2. Sam Kinison once said by ReformedExCon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    DON'T DO IT!!!!!

    He was talking about getting married or something. I don't remember.

    But going public has been the ruin of many poor companies, and God knows I've been part of some. It ties you to the stockholders and limits the ways in which you can reasonably spend your capital. It also risks you losing some of your top talent who may just decide that being rich and staying at home is better than sticking around to watch the stock prices fall through the floor while they slave away 12 hours a day.

    Trolltech has a very good business model. They sell Qt licenses to embedded device makers (in addition to selling software licenses to desktop application developers). Since Gartner expects devices like cellphones and other devices not normally built with graphical UIs to be overtaken in the coming years by "smart" devices that need a solid GUI, not to mention easily programmable APIs, Trolltech is positioned very well in this area.

    But don't go IPO, man. Keep it small, keep it lean, and don't let your eyes glaze over with dollar signs.

    --
    Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.