Mandrake Woes

[cga]

The following was on alt.os.mandrake. *Take a look. *Think about. *I have comments to follow.

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...06d2891eea88ae

[dalee]

This is not unexpected to me. It's unfortunate but it's just another part of the dot com bust. Remember the rest of the world economy is 6-12 months behind us. So they should be just hitting their economic downturn. I don't think that Mandrake will fold, but they are going to have to refocus on how they make money, i.e. selling services and such ala' RH.

Personally, I have 3 releases from them, 7.0, 7.2, and 8.0. All bought over the counter. And I think I will be buying 8.2 PowerPack if turns out to be a good relase (looking forward to KDE3.0)

dalee

[stryder144]

And I think I will be buying 8.2 PowerPack if turns out to be a good relase (looking forward to KDE3.0)

Same here. I just hope they make it long enough for 8.2 to come out. I really developed a taste for Linux due to Mandy 7.1 (I prefer Slackware, but Mandy is definitely fun, in my book). I really want to support them as much as possible, considering the fact that they have really hooked me on Linux. I hope that they don't put a beta release of KDE 3.0 on the discs when they release 8.2.

[Ashcrow]

This is not unexpected to me. It's unfortunate but it's just another part of the dot com bust.

How is linux part of the 'dot com bust'? Most of the companies who went under had stupid ideas or had no idea what they were doing.

[airhead]

I think I read on the Mandrake site that it came with KDE 2.2.2.

[capybara]

if you love and use drake, join their users club, $5 per month if you can afford it. i did! I make $16.50 per hour, $5 is about 20 minutes work, or about what i usually spend on lunch.

[Feztaa]

Well, I make $40/mo in allowance, and $5 is like half a week's worth of sitting on my ass... not worth it!!

[rick420]

Well I joined the club when it was first availible! Go Mandrake!

BTW, in their newsletters I get from them, they didnt make it seem like they were thinking of folding at all, just were stating that they need money! They said they expect to break even in 2002, but of course would rather be making money than being even....Heres a quote:

The issue that we are discussing concerns the short-term future only.
Since mid-year of 2001, our service and product activities have
increased dramatically -- enhanced by the growing confidence of several
distinguished companies. Since MandrakeSoft's revenue continues to grow
and the company remains on target to become profitable at the end of
2002, it would be a real loss and a great disservice to the huge
community of users for us to cut positions to meet short-term goals
when the future looks so bright.

The company's long term prospect are very good, but we are still paying
for the "sins" of the previous management. Even when the company
becomes profitable, it is important that users have a loud voice to
remind management and investors that the "community" has been -- and
should always remain -- a crucial part of MandrakeSoft's success. As
we've said before, a company that is mostly controlled by business
people & investors would be drastically different than if controlled by
its users.

I think they will be OK, especially with how hard they are pushing the club and other ways of paying them some money!

[cga]

What do you get as a club member? I have not quite figured it out, but I certainly would consider joining to support them. I support Public Radio because I believe strongly in what they do. I can sure do the same for Mandrake, but I get kinda worried about that analogy because Mandrake is a for-profit company were as NPR is a non-profit public service.

I have considered buying some shares of Mandrake stock as well, as it is quite affordable. As a potential buyer, I find is disquieting to see the CEO appear to be begging for money.

[Schotty]

I have always felt that one should pay (in some way) for what they use. I HAVE sent donations to opens source developers as a way of saying thanks and to keep up on it. Trust me, sending a $20 bill to your favorite apps' creators will make them happy, and show that there are people who appreciate their effort.

In my case, my money has gone to RedHat, Slackware, XMMS, and Apache. They have made the biggest impact on my life (Especially Slackware and RedHat) and I feel it almost morally wrong to deny them at least SOME compensation. I pay more than the $5 a month to Transgaming - Why??? Because as of now the money HAS to be tight over there. Anf they are striving to give me a service that I value. I feel that to contribute is to keep alive. As for my friends -- if they help, if it aint money or beer, its something else -- free dinner on me, free pack of smokes ....

To sum it all up. If you paid for mandrake at the store or online for a legal copy -- you did your duty. But if you are using a burn - donate at least SOMETHING. They are a dsitro that you apparently enjoy and seem to prefer over others. A check for $20 bucks is better than nothing!