The only way I can see good coming out of Kodak's attempted sale is if some sort of angel investor or group buys it up, and also hires all the current film/paper group staff, to keep continuity. Then funds it with plenty of $ for R&D and marketeering/advertising, to bring the image of Kodak films back in the public eye. Something along the lines of the Impossible Project (only with much better actual products to sell, e.g. current-quality Kodak stuff. And with way more funding.) I doubt any of the current players (Ilford, Fuji) would be interested, for reasons already mentioned.
The value of the film/paper business is in the existing coating lines, and the people who run them. Despite what people may think, the 'brand', and the names of products (tri-x, et. al) are worth a whole lot less than the ability to actually continue producing the product. I could give a rat's ass what it's called, but as long as the quality of the product is the same, that's what matters. There's plenty of examples of empty-shell "brands" that were once great: RCA, polaroid, etc. - having the name doesn't mean squat really, when the products are crap.
So here's hoping that if it sells, it sells to someone who knows what they are doing enough to not screw it up, hire the right people, and keep the existing products in place at the same level of quality. That's a lot to ask, esp. considering the asshats currently running Kodak (perez, etc), but hopefully it comes to pass. In the meantime, I've already started stocking up. I figure sheet film will be the first to go if supplies get interrupted or cut. There's nothing like Ektar or Portra out there, and it would be a crying shame if those disappear.
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