On Mon, 2002-12-23 at 21:18, civileme wrote: > I have some good news and some urgent news > > 1. I will be returning to the lists. I will have an email address that > can handle list level traffic. > > 2. All of you are desperately needed to complete the push to get > Mandrakesoft on a self-sustaining level.
Right on. How many versions of mdk have we all downloaded, given to our friends, and used for nada. Let's pony up some cash unless we all want to start using another distro or (gulp) M$. -Mark > > For the second one, here is the real story: > > Mandrakesoft started on a shoestring and a hope, originally as a > spare-time project for one person. It was immensely popular from > inception and soon MADE A PROFIT. > > Then arrived the venture capitalists.... > > They invested monies but wanted an international team of executives to > manage the company. Such a team was acquired. > > Under that team, the expenses went up about 400% without a concomitant > increase in revenue. The direction was modified from a linux > distributor to an internet education company with a hook to linux. > > The soundness of that idea was never proven, as the dot.com bubble > burst and investors worldwide went into full retreat. For Mandrakesoft > this was a curse and a blessing. The curse was the negative cash > position and high burn rate and the blessing was a return to being a > linux company. > > Mandrakesoft has made huge strides in bringing revenue up to meet > expenses and in cutting expenses. They tended to trust the word of > others which has made their forecasts look overly optimistic several > times. > > But now the break-even point, in the worst-case scenario, is in sight > and in a few months. The short term still requires more cash than they > have now, to get out that next release. > > In that next release will be a special piece of software I am > contributing. With little to do since my layoff, I have designed a > semi-intelligent linux binary installer that can handle most of what you > are able to download. It even has hooks to look for things like WineX > and to attempt to install windows executables if you have an emulator > for them. > > But if you want to see that next release, consider a club membership or > giving club memberships as Christmas gifts or buying stock at > approximately the right price. (BTW, MIcrosoft stock which sells at > Like $52 /share has 8 billion shares outstanding on a company that > earns $25 billion a year in revenue BEFORE expenses-- I call that a > heavily watered stock) Mandrakesoft stock is selling for what the > company is probably worth. Remember its assets are PEOPLE and their > products. People like Pixel and Gael Duval and Denis Havlik and > Guillaume Cottenceau make the product and the company what it is. > Mandrake also has a hidden asset in the loyalty of contributors, And > they are finally selling the right way--software is free if you want it > and rather expensive if you expect extensive support. > > So anyway, expect to see me return to the lists now that I have an email > that will handle it without quota problems and (I hope) without any more > crack attacks or DDOSes which is what originally set me to dropping my > mailserver and forwarding to a hidden webmail host. > > Still loyal to MandrakeLinux, > > Civileme > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? > Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com -- Mark Belanger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
