Want to buy your very own Linux company? Two important ones, Mandriva and Novell are looking for buyers.

There’s a world of difference though between the two. Mandriva, which at one time was a major Linux distributor, is in serious financial hot-water. Novell, which has been targeted by two hostile takeovers attempts in the last few years, seems to have decided that to either cash out or to wrestle control back from some of its stockholders. At this point, it’s hard to tell which goal Novell actually has in mind.

Mandriva’s goal is clear though: it’s simple survival. The French-based company has never had an easy time of it. In 2004, Mandriva went through a bankruptcy. Mandriva followed this with a failed attempt to take on Red Hat and Novell in corporate servers. The company also fired its co-founder, Gael Duval, which lead to a bitter fight that did the company little good.

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