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Promoting Mandriva


willie
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I Think like many, you have received this e-mail from Mandriva:

Many Mandriva Linux Community members have ben asking Mandriva to
provide a way to get One CDs. This is now possible through Mandriva
Store, you will be delivered within 2 or 3 days. A good way to spread
your favourite distribution in Linux parties or among your friends!

Our packs: 1 CD, 10 CDs or 30 CDs
Click here: http://www.mandriva.com/en/product/mandriva-linux-one

Because you also like to spread the friendly face of your favourite
distribution and its community, we have also added Mandriva Linux
stickers on Mandriva Store.

Stickers: 10 sets, 30 sets or 50 sets
Click here to get your stickers: http://store.mandriva.com/?cPath=63

The Mandriva Online team.

At last we can promote Mandriva the way Ubuntu does, but at last i found out that you have to pay for the cd's.

Why, i don't know. We as MCNL promote Mandriva all the time just like the MUB but still we have to pay. We are been asked to organize a install party for 2008 Spring, we have asked for promotion stuff but got nothing.

How will the community will be able to promote Mandriva if whe have to pay for everything or get no promotion material from Mandriva, maybe not all the members but at least the admins and the crewmembers should get cd's and stickers for free.

 

This is my opinion, please respond.

 

 

[moved from Talk-Talk by spinynorman]

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The way I see it Mandriva are making the CD's, and therefore are charging for those CD's. This in my opinion is perfectly fine, since they have to cover the costs of providing the CD's - why should they do it for free? If you had to burn a load of CD's, would you just give them away? You'd at least want to cover the costs of having to purchase the CD's in the first place, as well as your time spent on burning those CD's as well as maybe printing something on the CD as well. To me it seems reasonable. It's the same of the CD's you can buy that burn Debian, Mandriva, or whatever distro for a few dollars or whatever. Although, I don't know what Mandriva are charging for the CD's they are making.

 

I don't see where Mandriva are asking you to organise a Linux party though - although if you were to, then this would be your choice not Mandriva forcing you to do so.

 

If I have burned a CD and am not going to use it again, then I just give it away so that it will benefit someone.

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Mandriva holds install parties whenever a new release is out. Although burning CDs have a cost companies usually provide promotion stuff for free.

 

I don't know who did you ask to rpovide those CDs for you but AFAIK Mandriva does give install party CDs for free as well as stickers.

Anyway I'm not a Mandriva official. None of us are here. You better ask Adam.

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Why do you have to pay for the CD's?

 

Because buying, burning, and shipping a CD costs money - and Mandriva isn't backed by a millionaire (i.e. Ubuntu). Don't get me wrong, it's nice that Ubuntu gives out free CD's, but it's just that - nice. I don't expect Mandriva to go shelling out cash for something that won't provide them with any funds in return - it's a business, not a charity.

 

If you want the CD's for "free", download the ISO, go to your local office supply store, pick up a stack of CD's and start burning.

 

Otherwise, shutup and stop being a freeloader.

Edited by tyme
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Because buying, burning, and shipping a CD costs money - and Mandriva isn't backed by a millionaire (i.e. Ubuntu). Don't get me wrong, it's nice that Ubuntu gives out free CD's, but it's just that - nice. I don't expect Mandriva to go shelling out cash for something that won't provide them with any funds in return - it's a business, not a charity.

A lot of business do give things away, it's called advertising. It's quite a common and legitimate investment for companies that want to try and broaden their customer base. It can be risky, Mandriva seems to be trying to mitigate that risk by going against common practice and charging for the privilege of promoting (the mention of install parties to some degree implies promotion) their product. that kinda puts people off when they are already devoting their time and effort for free to promote the product.

 

Otherwise, shutup and stop being a freeloader.

I find that remark to be rather aggressive and bang out of order.

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Mandriva seems to be trying to mitigate that risk by going against common practice and charging for the privilege of promoting (the mention of install parties to some degree implies promotion) their product.
I don't see it as charging to promote. You can promote without giving them a dime, and it's their right to charge for something that costs them money. For years, install-fests have gone on without Linux companies providing CD's. But as soon as one (Ubuntu) does it, every other Linux company is expected to do it too.
I find that remark to be rather aggressive and bang out of order.
Yeah, it was aggressive. I don't think it's completely out of order, though. I find expecting a company to provide - for free - something that costs them money to be out of order. The last time I got something from a company for free that promoted that company, it was at a trade show, and it was a pen. An extremely cheap pen. And had they not had that pen, I wouldn't be running around complaining about it. That's their choice, and I have no right to expect them to give me anything for free. Besides all that, Mandriva already provides the ISO for free, so it's not like you HAVE to buy this stuff from them. Edited by tyme
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You might not agree with it, but it's something that happens a lot and works well in the business world.
You're missing my point. It's up to the company to decide whether or not they want to do it, and the user has no right to expect it. I don't care whether or not it happens a lot or works, that still doesn't give end users the right to complain when a company chooses not to give stuff away for free.
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If you want the CD's for "free", download the ISO, go to your local office supply store, pick up a stack of CD's and start burning.

 

Otherwise, shutup and stop being a freeloader.

For the record, i've buy always my version of Mandriva, except for 2007(1) that didn't work on my laptop. First i try One and then buy the Powerpack.

 

If Mandriva want's to promote their software i aspect to give me or other members some material, so whe can give it away. Euro 13 for 10 cd is not much, but if i have to promote a company and pay for it . i find it not correct.

 

Maybe a mod can put a lock on this topic, it's getting nowhere

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but if i have to promote a company and pay for it . i find it not correct.
But that's just it, you can still promote Mandriva without paying for it. The ISO is still free.

 

I apologize if you feel I've killed your topic.

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But that's just it, you can still promote Mandriva without paying for it. The ISO is still free.

The iso is free, correct. But a cd with a official print in a nice case looks better and people want to try it sooner then for instance a home burned cd.

Why is (K)ubuntu such a succes.

 

You don't killed my topic, i just wanted a nice discusion ;)

 

The same discusion is going on the mcnl

Edited by willie
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For official events we do still provide promotional materials (CDs, stickers etc) for free to groups that are organizing a party - you should mail lugs AT mandriva DOT com with details (the organization you represent, some info about the event you're organizing, and a physical address to mail the materials to). If you've done this and not received a reply, please email me and I'll sort it out. In general if you're putting on some kind of proper installfest, you can contact lugs@ and get some stuff mailed to you.

 

The sale of One CDs on the Store is simply because quite a lot of people asked us to do it. It's meant to be for more informal situations - people who like to give out CDs to friends and family, for instance, but want nice pre-printed ones. The price just covers the cost of duplication and distribution, which isn't cheap. Unfortunately we're nowhere near rich enough to simply absorb these costs as Canonical does for the Ubuntu ShipIt program.

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now everybody please relax. Tyme has been way too agressive but at least he apologized. So let's forget about it.

 

Back on topic now:

 

I felt similar, willie, when I read that mail. Pay for it? When others offer it for free?... Yeah, that sounds weird at first, but then: The money spent is, if you calculate it thoroughly, not for making Mandriva rich. The way I see it, the costs they charge are almost exaclty the costs that evolve by producing the merchandise. They seem to sell the stuff without any bigger commercial interest behind it. And: If you do such stuff yourself (stickers and CD-labels), it is way more expensive. Mandrivas offer CAN be a bargain.... if there were no Ubuntu. :P

 

Only because Ubuntu gives CDs away for free doesn't mean that everyone should or could do it. Were there not Ubuntu, everyone would say "Cool, that's cheap!", I bet. And yes: It is still damn cheap.

 

Were it my company, I wouldn't give the stuff away for nothing, either. Whatever you do, first of all you have to make sure that you do not go bancrupt. Point.

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