Mandriva.com
Store
Club
Simple
#includeResource("Skel.ArticleHeader") Before (before emacs), life was simple, businessmen didn't care about software, and we could peacefully hack, without bothering about complicated things. Then, after MS-DOS, everything was complex, nobody understood anything anymore, creating a piece of software was just the devil of a job, there were licenses, protections, business plans, schedules, really horrible things. Then, thanks to GNU and Linux, things got a little simpler again, and then it was just a question of coding and publishing everything on the Internet. But some companies decided to distribute free software, to build a business upon that, and that was the beginning of a big mess. When I arrived at Mandriva, nealy 7 years ago, I thought that everything would be simple, that we'd just to create the distribution, put it on the Internet, people would give us money for that, and we would live forever in a world of harmony and peace. But if the world was so simple, there would be no need for businessmen and consultants. We'd have to find something else for them to do. In reality things are complicated even when you're distributing free software. There are schedules, production costs, deadlines, boxes to produce, markets, shares, partners, resellers, contracts, and product cannibalization (surely one of the most complicated things), and, above all, the feedback of our users, often including demands all of which we can't possibly meet at the same time. And as I am not very interested by margins, revenues, turnover, return on investments, direct and indirect costs (if only the world didn't have so many calculators, we would not have to invent all those complicated things to give them something to do), I prefer listening to people who complain. When there are a lot of them, I say to myself that I must have done something bad, and when they are not so many, I tell myself maybe they didn't try the latest X.org version yet. I am the 'release manager' for the Consumer product line at Mandriva since Mandrakelinux 7.0, a total of 13 distributions up to 2006. Currently, I am quite embarrassed because I feel a lot of criticism, but I do not really get why. Mandriva One is not so bad, the Mandriva Kiosk was created to satisfy users' requests, 2006 had some bugs, true, but I still think that it is a very good product. We are still working on the Free version and for the 2006 we even released a complete x86_64 Free version (for previous releases there was no Free x86-64 edition, or only a cut-down one disc version), and likely for the 2007 we will also release a Mandriva Free version based on Mandriva One. The Club December edition was quite good, and it seems you liked it, because you are more than 4000 users to have downloaded it, and we even released a DVD version at your request. I do not participate a lot on the Club, that's true, but Adam is working really well, and he asked me my opinion quite often, and also report me everything that are bothering you, which is really a good thing. Now we are working on the 2007, and soon you will be able to test the first betas, and I will come to discuss with you about what you like and what you do not. Nothing changes, everything is still simple, I still work for you, with all my team, this is our job, and we still defend the free software spirit, for a better world, and Mandriva will still be a distribution done for you and thanks to you.
Simple
Version 1.60 last modified by Titpom on 16/10/2006 at 03:41
Version 1.60 last modified by Titpom on 16/10/2006 at 03:41
Document data
- Lost account?
- Join the community, be part of the Club: it's free!
- Get the PWP Download Subscription!
Comments (42)
Faire simple, c'est effectivement ce que tous ceux qui découvrent Mandriva (et les autres) aimeraient…
Seulement, voilà, met toi à la place de quelqu'un qui veut tester LA Mandriva 2006 FREE, tu vas sur www.mandriva.com, et là, essaie de télécharger la version free ! C'est quasiment impossible, il faut presque 20 clics !
Maintenant, fais la même chose avec ubuntu, 3 clics et la distrib est en téléchargement !
Alors OUI, il FAUT faire plus simple, c'est VITAL !
Merci
pour le forum français, on se démène comme on peut, mais il est clair que cela n' est pas du niveau du forum anglais grâce à Adam. Je vous présente mes excuses pour ma partie. Désolé.
- Accès ULTRA RAPIDE au téléchargement de la free, pour que les gens puissent tester la distrib (comme pour la One) !
- Quand une version comme la 2006 sort avec Kat et X.org complètement buggés, il est impératif de corriger les isos, sinon, comme le dit dexter11, tout nouvel arrivant a l'impression d'être un bêta testeur et l'image de Mandriva en prends un coup !
- Enfin, expliquer clairement la différence entre la One, la Live, la Move, la Globtrotter, la powerpack, la powerpack+, la corporate, etc. (tiens ça fait pas un peu beaucoup, tout ça ?) !
"- c'est organisé et fait avec la bénédiction de la direction : Je voudrais lui dire qu'elle devrait vous encourager à communiquer, vous le faites très bien et vous êtes convaincants (et pterjean et toi warly).
- c'est fait sans l'accord de la direction : allez lui dire qu'elle devrait vous encourager à communiquer, vous le faites très bien et vous êtes convaincants !
Bref : merci de ramener les pieds sur terre en nous rappelant que derrière mandriva il y a des gens et pas seulement des financiers ! Ce qui ne m'empèche pas, en tant qu'utilisateur, membre du club et actionnaire, de continuer à penser que c'est une <<énorme>> anerie du pt de vue réputation de s'être copieusement faché avec un des fondateurs ! Heureusement finalement que vous (pterjean, anne, et toi par exemple) ramez pour la relever, cette réputation.With the new release cycle, it is natural that people are more demanding about the quality of the distros, since they are around for a full year. Apparently, 2006 was released in a hurry (otherwise these serious bugs would not be present), but the preparation of 2007 should more quiet. You'll just have to relinquish adding brand new packages in the last minute. Those who want brand new stuff will be happy with the Club special editions.
- By stating that you don't care for all the suit's desires and requirements you don't wipe them off the desk. They are there and have their direct influences on your work. See the premature release of 2006 as the best possible example.
2. As dexter11 already pointed out: By releasing single updated packages you don't fix the impression of a buggy release each and every user experiences until this very day when he downloads or buys the 2006 release. So, it's the lack of a bugfix release which is the damaging factor. And pls don't alwways talk about the club x-mas edition! The majority of users is not in the club and has no x-mas release! 3. Desktop users, the definite target of Mandriva One, are users who care for the up-to-date status of their software, especially the main packages like browser, office and GUI. So why was there a release of Mandriva One with outdated software? In the same week of the final release of One you yourself announced a prerelease version of One coming with current software. Why did Mandriva not wait 2 or 3 weeks and release this version you talked about? BTW: This announced prerelease version was never released. When Mandriva One Final was released I took it with me to a large Linux event and showed it to a lot of people. Everybody liked the idea of the seamless installer but again everybody told me (in his own words) to come back when I have an updated release with current software. Last: I was happy to hear that the release cycle was changed to one year. I thought it to be a good chance to have a better quality at release time. And I guess that's what most other users think. So, 2007 has to be the best ever in quality, otherwise Mandriva will really be what a long standing freind of Mandriva wrote in a review of Mandriva 2006: "It's a pity to see a once leading Linux distribution vanish in mediocrity." Hopefully you can prove him wrong in next automn.