Dell‘s largest outside shareholder is gearing up for a fight against the company’s plans to go private.

Southeastern Asset Management, a Memphis-based firm, said in a regulatory filing today that it plans to fight the $24.4 billion sale to Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. The firm owns approximately 8.5 percent of the company’s shares, including options.

In a letter addressed to Dell’s board of directors, the firm makes the case that the buyout is too low, which is essentially robbing shareholders. The authors urge the board to explore alternative options, or face a long and protracted fight against the deal.

“Unfortunately, the proposed Silver Lake transaction falls significantly short of that, and instead appears to be an effort to acquire Dell at a substantial discount to intrinsic value at the expense of public shareholders,” the firm said.

The firm makes the case that Dell stock should be valued at up to $24 per share, rather than the $13.65 offer price. The authors point to Dell’s success with the small to medium sized business (SMB) market as a competitive advantage that has not been duly considered.

Southeastern put forward alternative moves that would return value to shareholders, including borrowing money to pay out a special dividend or a leveraged buyout to allow for limited trading of shares by public investors.

Southeastern Asset Management is run by Mason Hawkins and Staley Cates, both of whom oversee Southeastern’s Longleaf family of mutual funds. The Longleaf strategy is to basically buy and hold stakes in companies over long periods of time, especially those they believe are trading at discounts.

Hawkins has occasionally been regarded in the financial press occasionally as the Warren Buffett of mutual fund investing.

Related: Read our analysis of Dell’s privatization: a new era for old tech. 

Popular ride-sharing startup Lyft got a green light today to continue operating while the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) re-examines its policies.

In their efforts to bring new transportation options to urban residents, these services have consistently butt heads with the authorities. In November, we reported that hefty citations were levied against Uber, Lyft and SideCar, prompting users to launch an online petition.

But today, the PUC agreed to suspend the $20,000 fine and cease and desist notice against Lyft. The State is taking six months to perform background checks and assess whether these services are in compliance. The CPUC has not yet reached any similar agreement with Uber and SideCar.

The CPUC is considering new regulations that could legalize ride-sharing. In December it issued a proposal for new rulemaking. The proposal states that this is “a situation not encountered before,” and that it will evaluate how these new businesses are using “mobile communications and social networks to connect individuals wishing to offer and receive low cost and convenient, sometimes shared, transportation.”

Lyft responded to the news by announcing plans to expand into Los Angeles. It has already begun recruiting drivers in its first new city outside of San Francisco.

Since it launched in August, Bay Area residents have become familiar with Lyft’s fleet of moustache-adorned cars. Payment is donation-based and often works out cheaper than a taxi. Users can order a ride from their smartphone in a matter of seconds, and a car will typically arrive in 10 minutes or less.

A commission press release said:

“The terms of the agreement are intended to ensure the public safety of both riders and drivers through the CPUC’s interim oversight of Zimride [Lyft's parent company] during the rulemaking through safety requirements that include continued proof of insurance, Department of Motor Vehicle checks, and national criminal background checks.”

This is a significant step forward in the protracted battle between ride-sharing services and State authorities. But the fight isn’t over. Today, users launched a Change.org petition to show support for Uber in an ongoing regulatory battle in Denver.

With all the potential sources of anxiety, spending too much for flights shouldn’t be one of them.

This holiday season, VentureBeat worked with Kayak and Visual.ly to create an infographic of the best and worst times to travel. Kayak analyzed more than a billion search queries and unwrapped a few key findings, and well as some interesting comparisons between holiday travel general year-round travel and between international and domestic journeys.

The most important takeaways? The earlier you book, the better, and traveling on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve can save you significant amounts of money. Kayak also discovered that Florida is a hot spot for holiday travel as well as for weather.

The three top trending Christmas destinations (based on a year-over-year comparison) are all in Florida, and Orlando is the number one holiday destination this season. But spending your Christmas in the sun has its drawbacks. Miami, Phoenix, and Orlando have the highest increase in airfare this Christmas. While New York remains the most popular place for New Year’s, Las Vegas and Orlando are also high on the list.

No matter where you are going, flying around the holidays is going to be expensive. The average airfare is $528, and this number is on the rise. To keep costs in check, Kayak offered two main pieces of advice: Be flexible with your travel days, and book well in advance.

As for dealing with your family once you arrive at your destination, the team at Kayak has no advice. Although maybe this explains why so many people head to the beach.