MandrakeSoft's 8 Golden Rules

[aRTee]

The latest Mandrake press release:

http://www.mandrakesoft.com/company/press/.../corporate/2446

 

* * * MandrakeSoft's 8 Golden Rules * * *

 

 

1) Software updates for all Mandrake products

 

Official MandrakeSoft software updates -- including bug fixes and security updates -- will remain freely available for all public supported products, according to the official product lifetime table.

 

2) Product lifetimes are not hidden

 

A product lifetime table for all major MandrakeSoft products is publicly available on the Mandrake Linux website. For example, the Mandrake Linux 9.2 Download, Discovery, PowerPack and ProSuite editions will be supported with core updates until March 30, 2005.

 

3) Product lifetimes do not change during a product's lifetime

 

The support lifetimes are respected, and may sometimes even be extended.

 

4) Free as in 'Libre' and Free as in 'Beer'!

 

A download version of Mandrake Linux, consisting entirely of Open Source software, will continue to be released, provided without cost, and supported.

 

5) MandrakeSoft's code conforms to the GPL

 

ALL applications created by MandrakeSoft, such as the Mandrake Linux installer and Linux configuration utilities, are released under the General Public License. Our firm commitment to the GPL is the appropriate way to "give back" to the Free Software community.

 

6) Mandrake Linux -- A true Open Source project

 

The development of Mandrake Linux is conducted entirely in accordance to the Open Source spirit. Development of Mandrake Linux products are based on "Cooker", which is a publicly available development platform and community. Cooker provides complete access to:

 

a) Source code -- through a CVS repository

B) Direct communication with developers -- through numerous mailing-lists

c) And a 'Wiki' collaborative website

 

 

7) The choice of free support...

 

All Mandrake Linux users have free access to the community-supported MandrakeExpert.com support platform.

 

8) MandrakeSoft listens to you...

 

MandrakeSoft encourages and welcomes feedback and suggestions from its base of users, thereby releasing products that better match the users' needs.

 

 

 

My interpretation for the things that matter to me:

1) You will be able, in the future as you are today, without restriction to use and to pass on the Mandrake download discs

2) they will be freely available in the future

3) which means that you will always have access to free updates

4) which means that you're not wasting your time if you invest it in learning how to work with Mandrake Linux and their tools

5) nor are you wasting your time with bugreports, helping out in improving the distro

5) because even if MandrakeSoft would not survive, all the tools/developments are GPL-ed and thus will live on openly, giving you access to the fruit of the combined effort forever

6) and all the money that goes to MandrakeSoft developers salaries is used to make GPL-ed code and is therefore not wasted either (which it would be if it would go to closed source tools/apps and the company would go bankrupt).

 

Lastly, suppose some not-so-true-to-the-GPL (proprietary parts) distro gains significant marketshare, wouldn't that be a prime candidate for MS to take over to enter the linux market?

Now contrary to that, what good would it be to MS if they bought MandrakeSoft (also MS :D ) --- can you imagine how fast everyone would jump ship and move on to the forked versions of MandrakeLinux... It'd be fun to watch, really.

 

 

So in short, this reaffirms that supporting Mandrake is a good thing, that Mandrake is a good choice as a distro. I see no other that has these points and aims at the average (albeit at the moment the more adventurous and computer savvy) desktop computer user.

 

Debian: too hard.

RH: well, there is FC, but you end up as a betatester who will not (necessarily) have access to the final binaries; also, RH is not for the home desktop, as per the comments of the RH CEO.

Lindows, Lycoris, Xandros et al: not fully GPL, no guarantee that you will benefit in the future from your efforts today. They can change direction as they please (see Lycoris). Also, no guaranteed free upgrades.

Gentoo: not for the average user. Which it will never be, and maybe: should never be.

SuSE: not as free, no free isos.

 

 

Sure, some other distro may currently run better on your platform, but with Mandrake you have the certainty (as per the 8 points above) that your efforts in getting it to run properly on your machine(s) will not go to waste.

 

IMHO, to me, these 8 points are the most positive marketing message that any company has ever made.

It really confirms that I'm doing the right thing in supporting Mandrake financially, with my website, with helping people out here, etcetc. Keep going Mandrake! This is the right direction!

[bvc]

:P

 

from

http://www.suse.com/us/private/download/su...inux/index.html

 

SUSE LINUX for i386 Live-Eval

 

SUSE makes the live-eval version of SUSE LINUX available for download as an ISO image. This version runs entirely from the bootable CD and is not installed on the hard disk.

 

If you want to get to know SUSE LINUX or test if your hardware is fully supported, the live-eval version is the right choice for you.

 

The ISO image is located in the respective directory under ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/

 

It's hard to read all of the above statements from mandrake and deny it. Mandrake is the best! Without a doubt!...though I do not consider Debian part of the main distro catagory.....it's ran completely different and its ways are purposely designed to keep it separate/different from the mainstream ways of running a distro.

Edited December 23, 2003 by bvc

[aRTee]

True, ok there are SuSE isos. But that is like a trial version, which is not the same as the fully functional version...

 

Any other comments, agree, disagree?

[grendal]

I agree, as a newbie to linux, I have found Mandrake very easy to use. I played with redhat for a while and considered a few others(even dwonload a few iso's). after reading the 8 points, I think I will stay with Mandrake, and I'm reconsidering about suporting mandrake, by either buying a version or joinging the club. Its good to see them embrace the "free" community that helps them with bugfixes and spreading the knowledge base of their product. Is it perfect, no not yet, but what OS is?