Dexter Graphic wrote: >>Ben, a number of us have Mandrake 8.2 CD's that we're happy to share; >>the software is free, you pay for packaging, harcopy manuals (not very >>useful IMO), and sometimes support... >> > >One very important thing you forgot to mention is that buying the boxed >set helps support Mandrake's product development. If no one is willing >to pay for all those people's hard work they will eventually give up and >the high quality and easy to use Linux Mandrake distribution will go away. > >Dexter > It is interesting to note that the message you posted below is all about the Mandrake Users Club and there is no mention of the fact that Mandrake is a publicly traded company and that purchasing stock in the company would also be a form of investment into it. It would supply Mandrake with money in the same way that "joining the club" would, however it does have some potential differences later on. If Mandrake happens to become wildly successful and profitable, and you've joined the club, you'll only get the satisfaction of having invested in the company (maybe that's enough). If you've bought stock in the company, you stand a chance to share in the profit of it.
There seems to be a disconnect in the business model of the company. If the company wants to survive off of charity (which is fine, I'm not bashing it, I work for a non-profit organization myself) then let's have at it, stop trying to become profitable and get off of the stock market. On the other hand, if the company is a for profit venture, then it seems a little sneaky to have all your PR pushing for charitable contributions (oh yeah we'll throw in StarOffice too if you give us $120...) while those that have invested in the company's stock stand to profit off of that if the company becomes profitable in the future. To quote whomever at Mandrake wrote that piece: "Even when the company becomes profitable, it is important that users have a loud voice to remind management and investors that the "community" has been -- and should always remain -- a crucial part of MandrakeSoft's success. As we've said before, a company that is mostly controlled by business people & investors would be drastically different than if controlled by its users." Yeah, and how about not just controlled by but *owned* by its users, the so called "community"? Or is that a little to close for comfort? Just some thoughts... Kahli
