Linux maker Mandrake: We need cash

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Linux seller MandrakeSoft issued a plea for cash Friday, encouraging people to buy products, MandrakeClub memberships or company stock. The company, based in Paris but drawing much of its revenue from North America, needs $4 million to pay debts and cover expenses in order to attain profitability. It's the second time this year the company has sought help from its customers.

"A very difficult time has arrived for us: We have a very big short-term cash issue," co-founder Gael Duval said in a statement.

MandrakeSoft isn't the only company to struggle with the business prospects of Linux, an open-source clone of the Unix operating system and one of several technologies once popular with investors. For example, the SCO Group changed its name to emphasize its Unix products, and Lineo, a maker of Linux for gadgets, this week was acquired under its new name Embedix by a Motorola unit.

Linux companies have seen some business success, however. For example, Red Hat, the top seller of Linux, has edged into profitability.

MandrakeSoft held an initial public offering on the unregulated Marche Libre exchange in Paris in 2001.

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News source: ZDNet

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#1 macrosslover on 20 Dec 2002 - 19:20

yeah open source is great lol. naw people (DEVELOPERS) don't need money to support their family. people don't need to make a living. and all that people associated with the closed source software industry don't need money, let's be selfish and get teh software for free and then distribute most of it for free. wow you tell somebody's kid that they are starving because you didn't feel like paying for software.

#2 MadDog on 20 Dec 2002 - 20:04

I thought the most wonderful and greatest thing about linux was the fact it was [b]FREE!!![/b] Oh well...

(1 reply) #3 Fotix on 20 Dec 2002 - 20:13

Um, who cares if Mandrake disappears. They didn't seem to ever contribute anything but a graphical installer and some system-modification apps. They were good, but there's better. I bid Mandrake adieu and am moving onto better linux providers.

#3.1 mezz on 20 Dec 2002 - 22:34

Yup, I agree. Mandrake is an old dog, they haven't change anything. They just update the version, that's it lately. There's no difference from old version to new of Mandrake, but newer version of apps. RedHat, SuSE and other companies have done very good job, they are still working on their asses off such as Bluecurve, a nice mailserver by SuSE, Lindows and etc. I believe, Mandrake will die unless they get their asses busy without bug about donation....

#4 X-Spyder on 20 Dec 2002 - 20:34

Ah heck with it. It's the holidays. I just bought Mandrake online. IMO, Mandrake was the only reason I was courageous enough to move to Linux at all (i.e., the graphical, easy-to-do installer). Though XP is my main OS, Manny is fun to mess with on occasion.

#5 aleks on 20 Dec 2002 - 20:36

Gentoo Linux = Something that is sent from heaven

I havent used such an innovative Linux distribution in years

I havent touched a WIndows operating system in 32 days and still maintain all my daily tasks (email, trillian, irc, quicktime 6 trailers, xvid, divx, vcds, e-donkey (mldonkey), kazaa, www (phoeni

, burning cd's. Hopefully, none of my subjects next semester will force me to develop applications that is only windows native. I dont want to break this streak.

#6 Chicane-UK on 20 Dec 2002 - 21:04

Hm.. Wonder if someone like Sony would buy out a company like Mandrake.. some of you might remeber they recently announced a partnership with Matsush1ta to develop Linux for the home entertainment market.. Mandrake has always been very interested in the first time Linux user / home market, so could seem like an ideal venture. Just thinking out loud

(4 replies) #7 azazel- on 20 Dec 2002 - 21:42

Boo-frickin'-hoo. Survival of the fittest. Linux isn't for newbies. Besides, Mandrake is just an idiot-proof version of Redhat, and Redhat sucks as well. Destined for failure from the beginning.

#7.1 JaggedFlame on 20 Dec 2002 - 22:09

Shame that Mandrake and Red Hat are the only distributions providing desktop footholds for Linux. Next thing we know, you guys are going to be complaining about market share.

#7.2 Rambo2000 on 21 Dec 2002 - 00:27

It's no big deal if companys die out, theres always new ones on the up start so I wouldn't worrie about it.

#7.3 JaggedFlame on 21 Dec 2002 - 05:35

How is anyone gonna get anywhere if the companies constantly get replaced?

#7.4 Rambo2000 on 21 Dec 2002 - 14:46

Easy, simple because if they go down, there code is still out there for anyone to use and continue the work, so to the user, it doesn't really matter too much if companys come and go, theres so many of them it wont matter, and anyhow, Mandreak was built of Red Hat at the time. The project keeps continueing on and progress is made, the code is shared and used by others who find some of the code useful.

Last edited by 19916 on 23 Dec 2002 - 02:46

#8 mintll on 20 Dec 2002 - 23:19

cant they remove there download links?

(3 replies) #9 Jason on 21 Dec 2002 - 00:23

I am not a fan of Linux at all, I am pleased Mandrake isn't doing well.

Last edited by 9969 on 21 Dec 2002 - 00:40

#9.1 Rambo2000 on 21 Dec 2002 - 00:29

Linux will never disapear Jason, or the idea behind Linux wont go away, thats why Microsoft are screaming blue murder because of it, because they can't buy them out, stop it or kill it off.

#9.2 JaggedFlame on 21 Dec 2002 - 05:36

I've had enough of this. Give me a link to a story where Microsoft is "screaming blue murder". Until then, you can only dream of being taken seriously.

#9.3 Rambo2000 on 21 Dec 2002 - 14:55

Lol Jagged, I'm not getting you a link because it wont make any odds if I came up with enough proof that not even you can denie but you'll still denie it. Open you're eyes, you can tell a mile off Microsoft are running scared of Linux, it's all over the net the things they are doing, the bribeing, putting Linux down and many other things. Linux is being taken seriously because people have taken enough crap of Microsoft and it's showing it's a contender by how popular it's getting to be now, it's getting news about it all over the place and thats going to get much worse for windows user and Mac user for that matter. Another thing, why would anyone want the Apple Mac to take over and have more control?, that would be worse then what we have now with Microsoft, Apple would have the OS, software and hardware under control, so take my word for it, you do not want Apple to have control like Microsoft have, the best option for us all is Linux, no control, more choice and can do more with it, in that Linux can be made for any job you can think of where windows can't unless Microsoft put it in which they can't with everything as it would cost too much and they don't have enough time.

(1 reply) #10 Jason on 21 Dec 2002 - 00:39

Luckily Linux is not eating in to MS desktops its eating in to Unix, but it will change. I am happy supporting MS products in my job I don't want to support Linux as I am not a fan.

#10.1 Rambo2000 on 21 Dec 2002 - 15:06

It's not eating into the desktop because it's only recently that Linux as been aiming at the desktop, Linux in affect will eat into all other markets, after all, why would you need another OS when Linux is not owned by anyone and Linux can be made to do any jobs we can think off. Don't take this the wrong way Jason, but it sounds to me that you don't want to change, like most people don't in life, once your confortable with what you've got, change is hard, but what happens to companys that don't change?, they useualy go down the pan or are forced to change. Just like Microsoft say they wont support Linux, Microsoft will support Linux, they'll be stupid not too, there share holders will go ape if like Linux as got 50% of the market and Microsoft is ignoreing it, because the way share holders will see it is that Microsoft will lose big time if they don't get into the market which because of that will put a lot of share holders off them which in term there stock price will likely crash which in term IBM might be eyeing them up

For Microsoft, it's the chicken and egg siturations, if they don't support Linux, they end up leting other companys take more control of the market and Microsoft will be left in the cold with a bad image which will make it hard for them to crawl in, and if they support it early on, that will get people wondering why they are supporting Linux when they have windows, which is the last thing Microsoft wants to happen, either way, Microsoft can't really win where Linux as got everything to gain.

#11 nicedreams on 21 Dec 2002 - 19:09

Do any of you people know sh*t about networking? Linux is what started the internet and that is exactly what the internet is. Every command or anything you do in linux is exactly what the internet is. THE INTERNET IS LINUX/UNIX. Microsoft took the best of both Linux and Novell and put it in there OS like they have always done. I'm not ripping on MS because I like the fact that they have done that. They took the best and made it easier to use. Linux is a KERNEL and most of you people should know that and linux is used in a lot more than just OSes. Our Cisco firewall at work runs linux. Just about every hardware router and hardware device we use uses linux. Microsoft is getting in to the picture by using Windows Embedded which is basicly just a slack down version just like the Linux kernel so they can use it in just about any device. Linux will never die, because it is too damn stable and too much widely used in the world. Stop thinking about OSes and desktops and think in a networking perspective. Our Unix server at works takes a huge load since it's the backbone of our company and I never have to touch it (being the administrator) and my NT boxes that we have (over 10 of them) give me problems from time to time, but the Linux box never complains execpt after about a year when it just needs to be rebooted. It runs a hell of alot more stuff than our NT network and it kicks our NT networks ass. NT/2000 server are great, but I think from experience, linux is better since you can take out all the crap you don't need to make it use your resources better. I think since Microsoft is just taking everyone else stuff and making it eaiser, then Mr. Gates needs to just make Windows with the Linux kernel. That would be KICK ASS!

#12 Rambo2000 on 21 Dec 2002 - 22:58

Problem is is that Microsoft don't have the right to take the Linux kernel and even if they did it wouldn't make much odds, what makes Linux good is that it's open to all, companys can change it, alter it to do anything and suit there needs. Linux is a OS that is capable of replaceing all other OS's, the OS that does it all. It's not good for the consumer to have Microsoft controling it all, how would the PC be like if it was closed and controled by IBM?, I bet we'll still be on something like 200mhz computers with a price tag at least double what we pay today. The PC is open and so should the OS, the ones that should fear that the most is Microsoft and Apple, the only thing keeping Apple alive is user on there that hate Microsoft and ease of use, problem for Apple is that both of thoes problems will go away and if Apple are not careful, they could go broke or get bought out. I think Linux will boost the speed of development on software and hardware by keeping it open to all to compeat fairly, companys like AMD could have a better go at compeating with Intel as with Linux it's made to support any cpu's you can think off and if it doesn't support it at the time, they can put it in themselfs,, a lot of hardware companys will benefit a lot because of Linux but as for software company, they could lose out a lot, but thats hard to say as things stand, they might not lose out as much as we think.

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