Article: Desktop and Mandrake
Bernhard Reiter
bernhard at intevation.de
Fri Jan 17 18:06:37 UTC 2003
Desktop Dreams in the Wake of MandrakeSoft's Bankruptcy
By Timothy R. Butler
Editor-in-Chief, Open for Business
January 15, 2003, 23:14:40 EST
http://www.ofb.biz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=193
Despite the title and the title of journal itself,
the article is quite interesting.
(It even talks about Free Software
and GNU/Linux not just about the kernel itself. :) )
Some lines:
Myth #1: GNU/Linux was Never Intended for Desktop Usage
Myth #2: GNU/Linux isn't Intuitive Enough
Myth #3: Free Software Just Can't Create a Desktop
While it probably isn't generally advisable to use a
bankrupt company as an example of how something can succeed, I do
suggest that this company is exactly that. Prior to the arrival of
outside management that operated the company from 2000-2001,
MandrakeSoft was a profitable company. Yes, that is right. Many
people assume that no GNU/Linux distribution was profitable until
Red Hat's black quarter announced last month, but that isn't true at
all. Furthermore, since the original co-founders retook the company
from the supposed "experts," the company has again moved towards
profitability.
Thus, it is my opinion that not only is the GNU/Linux desktop
going to stick around (even if it doesn't get much respect), but
that MandrakeSoft has proven a great example of what Free Software
can be.
Whether or not the company clears its bankruptcy reorganization --
and I sincerely hope it does -- it has helped to clear out all of
the myths I listed above. Even if the company fails to recover, its
management's wonderful commitment to the Free Software community
means that its work will never be for naught.
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