On Sun, 2002-03-17 at 18:53, Brian Parish wrote: > I have read lots of threads about the club memberships etc on this list > and find it very understandable that there are some diverse opinions on > this. Given that, isn't the best way to support the distro we like to > BUY it DIRECT from Mandrake. 8.2 pre-orders are now available. I > suggest that if you want to support Mandrake and get CLEAR value for > your money, order the 8.2 powerpack or server edition now direct from > > http://www.mandrakestore.com > > If you want to offer even more support, go for one of the subscription > offers, which gets you 9.0 and 9.1 when released. USD 84 for the > PowerPack including shipping has got to be value for money. You even > get manuals! > > My guess would be that if you buy it from your computer shop, Mandrake > may see only a small percentage of this. > > cheers > Brian
That's correct, there are a number of sticklers with the retail channel; it's one of the reasons that Loki bit the dust. The software stores would not give the product equal time on the shelves, to the same degree that the Apple software got, even. The day will come when Linux software is on the shelves, but for now we are all in a battle now, wether we realize it or not. The retail channel is a very problematic area for survival right now, given the entrenchment of M$ propaganda and influence. Any funds that are sent directly to MandrakeSoft for product are of course sidestepping the middleman. A more reliable and stable method for financial survival is residual recurring revenue, which is what the subscription model is all about. By spreading the cost of the company operation over a large number of people, it makes it easy for the population to bear the effort while ensuring that the Mandrake programmers can feed their kids. If you compare it to magazine subscriptions, it becomes easier to conceptualize. Transgaming works the subscription model by giving you a "vote", which allows you a certain amount of input regarding the direction of the company with regard, for example, to what game compatibility they are working on currently. It's possible that similar compensations could be worked out in the future with the Mandrake Club. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
