Hello, I have been a member of the Mandrake community and a contributor since 2001 (user since 1999). As some of you may know, I've concentrated my efforts on Mageia for the past few years, as that's what I chose to use. I don't have much in the way of insights into the inner workings of the OpenMandriva Association. So, feel free to take what I say with as large a grain of salt as you would like.
I can understand how some would find some of what Per Øyvind said as incendiary (I myself could have done without the anti-Mageia rhetoric), but he has raised some legitimate concerns about OpenMandriva's finances, and just banishing him from the mailing list is not going to make those concerns go away. I understand that money can be a touchy subject. The recent example of Jonathan Riddell and the missing Ubuntu donations is one recent example that's gotten a lot of press and attention in the open source community. However, as a community association, the community has a right to know what's going on with the finances, and as a legally registered association, the association probably has some obligation to provide some of that information. Basically there's two possibilities. One is that the financial situation is fine and Per Øyvind is full of it. If that's the case, and those with access to the information can share enough detailed information to show that, then the concerns can go away. The other possibility is that the situation truly is as dire as he said. If that's the case, again, the community has a right to know. I'm sure they would also like to know if the association has a plan to remedy the situation, if any steps are already in progress, and if there is anything that they can do to help. As to the naming and trademark situation, it is regrettable that the choice was made to make use of Mandriva's trademarks and that some of the worst fears about that have been realized, with Mandriva's bankruptcy and the uncertain ownership situation of the trademarks. It would certainly be the only responsible decision to cease use of the Mandriva name. I don't know that using the Mandrake name is very wise either, given the legal history there. Hopefully the community can come to a consensus on a new name or names that the whole community can rally behind. I really hope that things can be patched up within your community with the long-standing and productive contributors, the newer members of the community, ROSA, and anyone else with an interest in the project. I wish you the best in your future endeavors. _______________________________________________ OM-Cooker mailing list [email protected] http://ml.openmandriva.org/listinfo.cgi/om-cooker-openmandriva.org
