Not only can we warn people, we can let Macmillan know how we feel about
it. I personally have sent over 50 people in just the last 6 months (I
started keeping records) to buy Mandrake 7.0/7.1 at Staples here in
town. I know I could have burned them a copy (for some I did) but for
the rest having a manual (as good "cough,cough" as it is) saved some of
"my" hair. I know that at least 32 of them did follow my consultations
and purchased and installed it. Because of my becoming aware of
Macmillan doing this though, I am not only telling everyone from now not
to buy Macmillan packaged Mandrake; but I am also emailing everyone on
my list and telling them "not" to buy the Macmillan 7.2. I not only
don't want them to think that the Macmillan packaged 7.2 is
representative of MandrakeSoft's work, but it would reflect bad on me,
and as a professional I can not and will not let that happen. So I am
CC'ing this to the only email addresses I can find on Macmillan's
website that I believe are pertinent, as well as filling a customer
service request. If anyone has better email addresses please let me
know. Also I would encourage anyone else who finds this disturbing to
do the same. You can't always expect a company to act responsibly,
ethically, or morally; you can only let them know that you are taking
them to task for their actions. I would like to point out that although
I find this a grievous error on Macmillan's part, I also recognize that
it could have been worse; I just want them to know that they have taken
what I regarded as a convenient distribution of excellent software, and
rendered it useless to me and others. Also I would like to ask that
anyone who does this doesn't do so in a manner as to cause more disdain
for us, by doing so in a unprofessional manner; as I believe that even
though the linux revolution is progressing at an alarming rate of
expansion and acceptance, the number of zealots that are visible to the
press, computing community and industry is simply too high.
Graham Percival wrote:
>
> Millions of electrons died to bring me this message. Was it worth it,
> Jason Straight?
> > On Sunday 29 October 2000 16:00, you wrote:
> > > Well take the Red Hat linux distro and call it Mandrake and redistribute
> > > it
> >
> > Yeah, but the difference is Mandrake did that and they didn't call it RedHat
> > anymore! MacMillan is distribuing "Mandrake Linux 7.2" only it isn't!
> >
> > it's 7.2rc1 or thereabout. If they are going to do that they need to change
> > the name to MacMillan linux 1.0 or whatever.
>
> They don't *need* to change the name. Unless MandrakeSoft didn't give
> MacMillian permission to use their trademarked name (mea culpa about the
> "copyright" screw-up on my part), there's nothing that can be done to stop
> them.
>
> Of course, they *should* change the name, or otherwise make it clear that it
> is a beta version. But the US market system and legal system go by what is
> legal, not by what is right.
>
> The only thing we can do is to get the word out: the thing called "Mandrake
> 7.2" that is sold in Wal-Mart is not the real Mandrake 7.2.
>
> --
> Graham Percival
--
Thanks,
Jim Fritz, President F&H SoftHouse, Inc.
603 East 16th StreetHolland, MI 49423
Phone: (616) 395-9556 Fax: (616) 395-9557
