VA seeks to drop Linux from name

Shareholders of struggling software company VA Linux Systems will vote on a proposal to change the company's name to VA Software at the company's annual meeting, scheduled for Dec. 5 in Santa Clara, Calif., according to a proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier this year, the company announced it was leaving the hardware business and would sell proprietary software that enhances its open-source collaborative programming software.

VA is one of several companies initially devoted to Linux to change business plans in the face of waning investor enthusiasm for the operating system.