Interview of Gaël Duval - English translation

[theYinYeti]

MOD NOTE: The following is the combined translation from roland and theYinYeti:

-----------------------------------------------------------

Interview of Gaël Duval (founder of Mandrake Linux)

posted at: http://www.clubic.com/ar/2369-1.html

dated: 15 Septembre 2003

 

Clubic.com : You've been part of the initial team for the Mandrake Linux' adventure in year 1998. What were you aiming at, at that time?

 

At first, My aim was to push Mandrake Linux as an easy-to-configure, and easy to use, Linux system, especially for personnal use. The idea was to propose a Linux system, for which you don't need to spend half of your time configuring the system.

 

When we created MandrakeSoft later on, Mandrake Linux software got much richer, especially server-wise, as a result of our perception of people's needs.

 

Nowadays, Mandrake Linux can be considered both a server and a desktop solution, depending on the options you choose when you install it. That's what makes it strong. To give you an idea, the very first versions of Mandrake were made of 600 software packages or so (a software package can be an application, or a software library, or a localisation for example). The 9.2 version should be made of more than 6000 packages!

 

Clubic.com : Today is 5 years later; did you change your mind?

 

In 5 years, Mandrake Linux went from a totally unknown Linux version, to one of the 5 best known in the world, whereas the other 4 already were major distributions in 1998. All this was often done with less resources than those our concurrents had. During those 5 same years, hundreds, or even thousands, of Linux distributions were created, with very differents levels of success, to say the least. So there must be some "power" in the Mandrake system, that answers the users' needs. Besides, [here, I'm not sure of what GD wants to say] our products were mostly praised for their simplified learning curve, despite the appearance of office-specialized distributions.

 

More over, I secretely hoped that Mandrake Linux would become a sort of strong base, that would help the French and European computing industries to get a new stronger and dynamic activity. On this matter, it has not happened as I had hoped, for now, North America being a major part of our global income revenue.

 

Clubic.com : Linux in general gains market shares in the professional sectors. Can that be said of Mandrake?

 

These days, there's a real interest for Linux as a workstation/an office desktop, on the professional market, and that's historic for us. So yes, we progress in this domain.

 

Clubic.com : You've just released the RC1 (Release Candidate 1) of Mandrake 9.2. What's new in it?

 

There will be less "visible" changes in the 9.2, than there were in the two previous versions. Nonetheless, we went on with usability improvements, along with many small details. We will of course publish a "what's new" web page when Mandrake 9.2 is released.

 

Clubic.com : Do you think that today, Mandrake Linux is as powerfull as Microsoft Windows?

 

Less powerfull when you look at market shares, but surely much more powerfull when it comes to stability and security, for example.

 

Clubic.com : Do you think that today, Mandrake Linux is as simple to use as Microsoft Windows?

 

We're getting there very fast. In fact, the "ease of use" factor may well not count as much anymore, for Linux diffusion, as the number of available applications does (in particular the applications for individual users).

 

Clubic.com : With the recent wave of virus attacks against Windows operating systems, the fear of software security holes is in all minds. At the same time, your site for bugs- and security-related updates (MandrakeUpdate) publishes more and more alerts, of late. Can we really feel more secure with Linux, as is so often said?

 

By using Linux, you of course also suffer, when you're a victim of a general internet slowdown due to virus propagations, or when you receive tens of virus-emited messages each day. But on the other hand, you fell well when you remind yourself, that all that has no chance ever, of doing damage to your Linux system, whereas Windows users are getting more and more nervous about it.

 

We won't ever say it enough: on a Linux system like Mandrake, the system structure and access rights are treated in a strong hierarchical manner, with independant software layers. This makes for a first wall against viruses. Besides, no Linux mail client allows for the execution of an attached file by the system. This is a basic security rule, in computing, that is largely ignored by Microsoft applications.

 

Lastly, Mandrake Linux historically is very security-oriented, with security levels, security alerts, an integrated firewall, and so on.

 

Clubic.com : For the first time, you add the Bittorent system to the download options; are you confident in the future of those new "legal" PeerToPeer distribution methods? [IMHO, GD did not quite answer to the question, which is stangely formulated in its French form, being almost impossible to understand at first read...]

 

There's nothing illegal in the fact that two users share a free software or a part of it. That's exactly what happens when using Bittorent.

 

Clubic.com : Contrary to other distributions, available only to paying customers, one can download a fully fonctional and up-to-date Linux distribution from Internet. Why this choice? [Yes I know: it should be "up-to-date Mandrake distribution"...]

 

The reason is simple: we think that free software is better. So we accept its rules, and we look for a business model that works within those rules - we found it, by creating the Mandrake Club.

 

If we were not accepting this model, then we would develop closed-source software. It would be loathable to use the work from hundreds of thousands of people without giving them back what we made from it, namely a very feature-full and fonctional base Operating System.

 

Note that the two Linux distributions that are, with Mandrake, the most repanded, are Red Hat and Debian, both of which play by the same rules as we do.

 

To get back to Mandrake Club, it's a really powerfull model, that allows us to offer "even more" to paying customers. It is a much better attitude, at all levels, than offering less to those who don't pay.

 

Clubic.com : What are the benefits for its members? How many of them are there?

 

To date, there are more than 16'000 members. There are different kinds of benefits: commercial (important price reductions for MandrakeSoft products on MandrakeStore), access to services like a download area with more than 50'000 software packages (among which are the commercial packages, that are not part of the Mandrake packs), priority access to the Mandrake documentation (with a system allowing them to add their own comments to it), and so on.

 

The membership also empowers them to add the Mandrake Club's software source on their Mandrake system, so that installing software can thereafter be done with a single click.

 

Clubic.com : What is the estimated market share for the Mandrake distribution (and its derivates) in the global Linux market? And in the whole PC market?

 

Mandrake accounts for between 15% and 25% of all Linux distributions used in the world. So if we evaluate the number of Linux users to 18 million, as does LinuxCounter.org, we can then deduce the number of Mandrake users being approximatively 3.6 million. As a purcentage of the total number of PC users, it remains a very modest number, but we've been continually progressing for 5 years. With domain-specific highs, like systems hosting a web server.

 

Clubic.com : Do you have reports on the number of freely downloaded distributions? On the number of sold Mandrake "packs"? On the number of Mandrake "packs" that were sold through the MandrakeStore?

 

We would have much difficulty evaluating the number of freely downloaded distributions, because we have to use a FTP mirroring system to make our products available. As for the number of sold packs, it's a number we're not to disclose. The only important thing we can say about packs, is that it's been a perpetually lowering distribution channel for the past three years, for all Linux distributions, due of course to the explosion of broad-band internet availability. That's the main reason why we had to develop a better economic model for our future. Hence the creation of Mandrake Club, which actually is an on-line service.

 

Clubic.com : These days, Linux is a center part of an argument: if you believe SCO, a part of the source code is their property, and they thus want a royalty for each installed Linux system. They suggest that Linux users rectify their situation -that is: pay the licence- quickly, so they are not brought to court later. What is Mandrake's position on this matter? Do we have to pay this licence (699 US$ before the 15th of Octover, and 1399 US$ after this date)?

 

One should know that, according to the current press, SCO has financial difficulties, and is attacking IBM in justice on this affair, while letting them know that a compromise could be reached (that is, if IBM is ready to pay). One should know also, that IBM fiercely declined this offer, and is now attacking SCO in return. Besides, Red Hat created a 1 billion$ fundation to defend the interests of the free licences like the GPL, and will attack SCO, too. Indeed, it is not acceptable to endure such a lowering campaign against linux, especially coming from a company that had, until very recently, its own Linux distribution, most components of which had a free licence. More over, SCO still has not given any public proof of its claims, and many analysts on this matter, think that they'll never give any; they'll prefer to continue playing their "game of poker". By the way, SCO even dared saying that they own the UNIX trade-mark, which was of course immediately denied by the Open Group, a group of UNIX editors, including IBM, Sun, and HP, the rightfull owners of this trade-mark. It's also interesting to know that it is the Open Group, that defines the UNIX specifications (Single Unix Specification), and that certifies the UNIX operating systems on this basis; SCO only own the rights on the source code from one UNIX implementation.

 

Linux users should therefore not be affraid of this Linux-lowering campaign, akin to FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt). Linux and Free Software both form a well-founded wave, that has the support from industry giants, among which is IBM, and from a very important and dynamic user community, that SCO just turned angry on itself. The future of Linux thus cannot be hampered, contrary perhaps to that of its detractors' technologies.

 

Clubic.com : More generally, do you consider the projected laws, that would allow to patent software, a danger?

 

Yes, it's a real danger, not only for Linux contributors and companies. For example, in the USA, one can have a patent on everything and anything. As a consequence, there are completely unrealistic [help me here! :-] "money-hijacking", errr... lawsuits, because of patents like the one on hyperlinks, claimed by British Telecom, and many others of this kind. If we accept software patents in Europe, the smallest idea will become patentable; is that what we want? As a computing industry PME [Petites et Moyennes Entreprises = Small and Medium Companies], MandrakeSoft does not wish that; as a European citizen, I don't wish that.

 

Further more, one has to realize that patents are a way for big industries, to [It's getting more and more difficult 8-| ] crash down on emergent actors, that don't have the money for creating a patent, contrary to big companies that play a race for creating them.

 

Many analysts thus outlined the economic nonsense of those practices, and the harm they do to creative activities, hence to economic growth.

 

Clubic.com : Many Linux distributions are being created by the computing industry giants. For example, Sun has a Sun Linux ditribution for its entry-level PCs, that is based on Suse, as well as another distribution based on Red Hat for its x86 servers. Another example, Novel bought the OpenSource distributor Ximian, launched by Miguel de Icaza, the developper that started Gnome and Mono, the free software equivalent of Microsoft .NET. And of course, there's IBM, that is currently presenting Linux as a good choice for engaging on e-business (remember the advertizement with the basket-ball play-area).

What do you think about this endearment for free software? Do you have partnerships with industry giants such as those?

 

Concerning Sun Microsystems, they used to offer a Red Had-based distribution, but they are now developing their own distribution.

 

For all else, it is true that Linux is an strong trend in the computing industry, with which many want to get along, especially IBM, that is more and more developing its business strategy around Linux. As for MandrakeSoft, we try of course to create partnerships with giants lie HP, Intel, AMD... But for now, one can still wonder where it will bring us. Will well-established actors absorb the small ones, of will the small ones finally be on an equal-footing with the big ones?

 

Clubic.com: At the beginning of the year, MandrakeSoft which directs the development and distributes the pack versions was put in suspension of payment. You had then called for solidarity. What's up [(WAZZZZUP ! )] today?

 

Right, following the exces of the "mad years", MandrakeSoft had to be placed in "legal rectification" [can't translate this sorry] to protect itself from its creditors. We obtained a first period of observation which has been just renewed to the beginning of 2004. In the same time we had to heavily restructure the company, "to reduce sail" [ french expression: from sailing: reduce the amount of sail on a ship when there is a storm ] while waiting for better days.

 

Clubic.com: Let us speak about future: Data-processing industry is directed today towards mobility:

What about the Mandrake distributions's support of the new standards: Wifi, Bluetooth?

After the SPV [?? don't know SPV ??] developed by Orange and Microsoft [(Orange = a leading french mobile phone companie)], some Smartphone (mobile phone equipped like PDA) are appearing equipped with a MontaVista Linux distribution variant (Motorola A760). Do you also work on this market?

Which are the other projects of Mandrake in this field?

 

Mandrake Linux is more an infrastructure and equipment solution, and we do not currently plan to go to the market of the mobiles/PDA. It is a very particular field and the business-model for Linux in term of product is very vague as soon as it is more than know how transfert. Nevertheless our products, since several versions, support the WiFi and Bluetooth hardware, since these technologies are spreading on personal use and professionnal use as well.

 

Clubic.com: Except those developed by Mandrake Linux team, which are according to you the most promising software projects ?

 

Next MandrakeSoft projects A few months after the Mandrake 9.2 had been release, lets meet again for a very innovative project.

 

Clubic.com: Many are the users to see in Mozilla a serious challenger with Internet Explorer but its development is perhaps also slowed down by its too scrupulous respect of the standards with the result that certain sites (badly developed) are badly displayed. Don't you think that the Mozilla developers (and more generally the Open Source community) should show a little less rigidity (make some concessions) in order to take more market shares (it is easier to impose choices when one is in position of force that the reverse)?

 

It was perhaps undoubtedly true two years ago, but at the present time, Mozilla is a browser witch probably exceeds Internet Explorer in term of quality and functionalities, and it does not have incompatibilities problems any more - I use it daily, therefore I say you that very frankly

Konqueror, which is the default web browser in KDE graphic environment, is also a very mature web browser, it had recently been adopted by APPLE. (Note of the editor: We tried to use Mozilla at "full time", and we confirm that there are still problems of compatibility...)

 

Clubic.com: What best can happen to help free software today?

 

That the software publishers start to massively port all their software to Linux. There is considerable waiting on this matter from the users who wish to switch to Linux as quickly as possible.

 

Which are the Internet sites which you frequently visit?

 

On a purely professional basis, the Mandrake sites, obviously: -) For the remainder I consult a quantity of Linux sites daily, and in particular Slashdot.org and LinuxFR.org. On a purely personal basis, it is often LeMonde.fr. And Obviously, Google.

 

Thank you for these answers

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

Please tell (PM) me if I don't get the exact original feeling, or if I don't use the right word, and so on.

I'm learning to improve my English! I'm interested in every single grammar or lexical error (oh and btw, many keys, such as 'k', don't work well on my current eyboard, so tell me (PM) if there are missing keys).

Please also tell me if I mix US English and UK English, because no one ever teached me about the differences (except the UK-sation/US-zation words)

 

Yves.

[Guest gmleuty]

The translation is not at all bad. Congratulations and thanks.

I prepared the following brief summary (which I posted as a comment on www.osnews.com):

 

He says (among other things) that he has a secret hope that Mandrake will play an important part in developing the IT industry in France and Europe. but so far their customers are mostly in North America.

 

MandrakeSoft is making progress in selling desktop software to business.

 

Mandrake 9.2 will have fewer visible changes than earlier releases, but improved ergonomics and refinement of details.

 

There are over 16,000 subscribers to MandrakeClub.

 

Mandrake accounts for 15-25% of distros used worldwide, so if the total number of Linux users is around 18 million, this gives Mandrake about 3.6 million users.

 

Sales of boxed distros have been falling for 3 years, and not just for Mandrake, which is why they are developing other economic models such as MandrakeClub.

 

He is not worried by the SCO lawsuits, and considers that the continued survival of Linux is assured.

 

He is however worried by software patents, which he sees as a way for large companies to crush their smaller competitors.

 

Mandrake are developing partnerships with large companies like HP, Intel and AMD.

 

The period of protection against their creditors has just been extended until the start of 2004. "At the same time we have had to undertake a major restructuring of the company to trim our sails while awaiting better days."

 

Mandrake are not planning to develop for the PDA market (a specialised market with a vague business model), but their software already supports WiFi and Bluetooth.

 

He hints that there will be an exciting and novel software development in Mandrake following the release of 9.2.

 

I am particularly interested in the following response:

 

Clubic.com : Mis à part ceux développés par les équipes Mandrake Linux, quels sont selon vous les projets logiciels les plus prometteurs ?

 

Les prochains projets de MandrakeSoft :-) Quelques mois après la sortie de Mandrake 9.2, rendez-vous pour un projet très novateur.

 

Which I would translate as:

 

Q. What do you think are the most promising software projects, apart from those being developed by Mandrake Linux?

A. The next projects of MandrakeSoft. :-) Look out for a very innovative project a few months after the release of Mandrake 9.2.

 

I can't help wondering whether this is linked to the following announcement which appears on http://rhl.redhat.com.

# We are excited to announce that we are working on an alliance with another well-known provider of Red-Hat compatible packages.

# We are doing work on renaming the project and will re-launch the web site after that renaming is done.

# We will update our web site with the new name and new schedule by the Monday the 22nd of September, weather permitting.

[MottS]

Vous avez fait une super job les boys! WOW! Je n'aurais pas pu faire mieux... vraiment!

 

1000 fois BRAVO!

 

M :P ttS

[jlc]

The translation is not at all bad. Congratulations and thanks.

I prepared the following brief summary (which I posted as a comment on www.osnews.com):

 

He says (among other things) that he has a secret hope that Mandrake will play an important part in developing the IT industry in France and Europe. but so far their customers are mostly in North America.

 

MandrakeSoft is making progress in selling desktop software to business.

 

Mandrake 9.2 will have fewer visible changes than earlier releases, but improved ergonomics and refinement of details.

 

There are over 16,000 subscribers to MandrakeClub.

 

Mandrake accounts for 15-25% of distros used worldwide, so if the total number of Linux users is around 18 million, this gives Mandrake about 3.6 million users.

 

Sales of boxed distros have been falling for 3 years, and not just for Mandrake, which is why they are developing other economic models such as MandrakeClub.

 

He is not worried by the SCO lawsuits, and considers that the continued survival of Linux is assured.

 

He is however worried by software patents, which he sees as a way for large companies to crush their smaller competitors.

 

Mandrake are developing partnerships with large companies like HP, Intel and AMD.

 

The period of protection against their creditors has just been extended until the start of 2004. "At the same time we have had to undertake a major restructuring of the company to trim our sails while awaiting better days."

 

Mandrake are not planning to develop for the PDA market (a specialised market with a vague business model), but their software already supports WiFi and Bluetooth.

 

He hints that there will be an exciting and novel software development in Mandrake following the release of 9.2.

 

I am particularly interested in the following response:

 

Clubic.com : Mis à part ceux développés par les équipes Mandrake Linux, quels sont selon vous les projets logiciels les plus prometteurs ?

 

Les prochains projets de MandrakeSoft :-) Quelques mois après la sortie de Mandrake 9.2, rendez-vous pour un projet très novateur.

 

Which I would translate as:

 

Q. What do you think are the most promising software projects, apart from those being developed by Mandrake Linux?

A. The next projects of MandrakeSoft. :-) Look out for a very innovative project a few months after the release of Mandrake 9.2.

 

I can't help wondering whether this is linked to the following announcement which appears on http://rhl.redhat.com.

# We are excited to announce that we are working on an alliance with another well-known provider of Red-Hat compatible packages.

# We are doing work on renaming the project and will re-launch the web site after that renaming is done.

# We will update our web site with the new name and new schedule by the Monday the 22nd of September, weather permitting.

 

Nope, RH is talking about using Freshrpms, Fedora, Dag, Nyquist, Atrpms, one of those apt4rpm repo's if not a couple of them. That's my guess for RH. RH and MDK ain't hooking up together.

[theYinYeti]

Thanks MottS! Appreciation is a great reward!

 

And many thanks to Gowator for PMing me about my English! I look forward to other comments on the worse parts of this translation. If I have time, I'll try to change the translation a bit (by adding in different color) to reflect the corrections that are suggested.

 

Yves.

[Gowator]

Great job.

Its actually I think much more difficult for English speakers to correct something beyond a certain quality!

i.e. English-American-Australian to name but a few...

 

Often we have different ways of saying something (like under the hood)

and we are pretty much used to different way's so when someone who doesn't have the native language get's more or less as close as we would to a different type of English its hard to correct!!!

 

We Brits used to correct American's on speeling :wink: but we don't bother anymore.

 

Anyway, we'll try .....

For those who don't read French ... some parts were practically impossible to understand in French.... you had to read them about 5 times to see the question ... so YinYeti has made a great job...

 

How do you translate a pun that nine and new can be the same word... ?

i.e The 9th release of Mandrake and the New release of Mandrake....

 

 

Yves 'repanded'=widespread

unrealistic [help me here! :-] "money-hijackingThis simply cannot be translated IMHO.... The word relates to either press-ganging or soliciting for money by a prostitute...

 

Further more, one has to realize that patents are a way for big industries, to [it's getting more and more difficult 8-| ] crash down on

Again - no real translation without changing the whole sentence...

 

What it seems to be ssaying is keep the small guys under while the big guys play a game with each other.

 

"to reduce sail" [ french expression: from sailing: reduce the amount of sail on a ship when there is a storm ] while waiting for better days. streamlining ????

 

It would be loathable to use the work from hundreds of thousands of people without giving them back what we made from it

I think unethical might fit here.... or unfair...

 

 

:wink: because no one ever teached me about the differences :wink:

This is perhaps strange in English... The passe is taught. ??

 

I will have taught you one thing ... (futur cond.) :wink:

IF someone that understands English grammer can explain WHY .. let me know too.

[roland]

Thanks everybody

Even if I take only 1/4 of the congratulations as the Yin Yety does 3/4 of the job thats already much more I could expect.

 

roland :-)

[theYinYeti]

 

Thanks everybody

Even if I take only 1/4 of the congratulations as the Yin Yety does 3/4 of the job thats already much more I could expect.

 

roland :-)

Don't under-estimate yourself!

I had the feeling that the article was more and more difficult to translate, with more and more of those awful (for translators) ready-to-use language-specific phrases.

You did a great job on a part of the speach I would have had much difficulty to translate myself.

 

Yves.

[theYinYeti]

How do you translate a pun that nine and new can be the same word... ?

Yes of course, the French "neuf" word, which means both 9 and new. I did not even see it

[help me here! :-] "money-hijacking"Actually, it should be "ransom demands", if I learned my lesson well (my wife told me so this morning).

Further more, one has to realize that patents are a way for big industries, to [...] crash down on

What it seems to be ssaying is keep the small guys under while the big guys play a game with each other.

I'll have to correct the translation. In fact it's more like PacMan eating it's "pac-gums"... :blush: See what I mean?

:wink: because no one ever teached me about the differences :wink:

This is perhaps strange in English... The passe is taught. ??

I knew that :lol: I shouldn't have made this mistake. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

Yves.

[Gowator]

1) Gowator wrote:

How do you translate a pun that nine and new can be the same word... ?

Yes of course, the French "neuf" word, which means both 9 and new. I did not even see it

 

/me ... takes big reward ... oh Im at work it'll have to be a coffee and cigarette then... :smug emoticon:

 

 

Gowator wrote: 

because no one ever teached me about the differences 

This is perhaps strange in English... The passe is taught. ?? 

I knew that  I shouldn't have made this mistake. Thanks for pointing it out. 

Please, someone who understands English please explain why. I'd love to know too. Also Ive been thinking and Im sure teached can be used in very specific circumstances ???

 

 

 

Roland - GREAT WORK TOO!

 

 

 

Guys wish me luck....I'm of the the Paris LUG tonight ... In French!!!

[Guest gmleuty]

Gowater asked:

Please, someone who understands English please explain why.

The reason that the past participle of "teach" is "taught" and not "teached" is the same reason that the participe passé of "vivre" is "vécu" and not "vivu".

 

It's irregular. :)

 

Mike

[roland]

Guys wish me luck....I'm of the the Paris LUG tonight ... In French!!!

 

lucky you are ! I think there is a lot of nice girls there that all want to be taught english ;-)

bring them here !

 

roland

[Gowator]

Someone explain why is taught....

Please.

if not for Roland and YinYeti ...

Do it for me ??

[Gowator]

Gowater asked:

Please, someone who understands English please explain why.

The reason that the past participle of "teach" is "taught" and not "teached" is the same reason that the participe passé of "vivre" is "vécu" and not "vivu".

 

It's irregular. :)

 

Mike

 

/me slaps himself with a wet trout !!!

/ me thinks (10 minutes later)

oops .. this thread is linked from distrowatch and who knows wherelese by now...and /me looks like an idiot

/me thinks more (20 minutes later)

OK.... Guess its better to be honest ... Ill withhold the tempation to go and edit my threads !!

/me thinks (30 minutes later)

Can't work out how to dio it anyway!!!

(Is there a pattern, do my thoughts gradually slow down on a Friday afternoon - honestly its all beyond me)