Should IBM buy Red Hat?

Despite a bevy of questions—looming competition from Oracle, takeover rumors, and a weak economy—Red Hat appears to be humming along, according to Jeffries analyst Katherine Egbert. But in the long run, Red Hat will have to be subsumed into a large company—most likely IBM. </p>

I hope Red Hat stands on their own for as long as possible. I would hate to see such a unique company—in many ways a beacon for the open source community folded into a giant like IBM and perhaps lost amongst a myriad of products.

* CNET News: Is an IBM purchase of Red Hat inevitable?