(This is the third in a series of reports outlining the Mandriva Linux project and ways of taking part)
In addition to the different ways of taking part we have already gone over, another path is through a financial contribution.
We have within Mandriva two core activities, with a common goal, but whose revenues come from entirely different sources:
- Publisher of a free distribution, a technological base, a tool ready for use and available to all,
- Publisher of commercial versions (Powerpack, MES) and specific versions destined for individuals and businesses founded on this base (InstantOn, Mandriva Mini).
For the commercial versions, we follow the traditional revenue flow generated by product, service and by-product sales.
Our free distribution activity, while depending to a degree on commercial version sales, is structured on a business plan which could be remodeled. We believe the success of Mandriva Linux is due to the quality and innovation of its integrated Open Source projects. Accordingly, we feel it is appropriate to recognise and aid these projects.
The distribution responds to a wide public, from beginners to advanced users.
To resolve this quandary we offer the possibility of financially contributing to our component projects. Funds would be used to strengthen both infrastructure and those projects essential to Mandriva Linux, needed by the free community, developers and contributors.
We have always sought, through good years and bad, to uphold the transparency of our relationship with the community of contributors – staffers and contributors work hand in hand. We have reinforced this relationship with the Assembly where each group (staffers, contributors and users) is represented.
We wish to preserve this model which has the virtue of clarifying the work carried out jointly and gathers the dedicated funds for the distribution base and the infrastructure.
There is no question of reviving the Club: any contribution would go directly to funding projects whose output is already and would always be freely available for all.
In any case we shall publish a monthly report to start with, then quarterly, outlining the sharing out of funds. If you would like to contribute, start here.
This closes the series of messages outlining our activity as a Linux system publisher in collaboration with our community.
We shall shortly explore another branch of our activity: the range of commercial products and services (training, consultancy), customisation, (OEM, partnerships) and their different sales channels.
