[plug] Mandrake on the rocks?

[Derek Fountain]

> I'm no Linux company financial expert, but, from what I have seen, Red
> Hat has manged to make its profit by supplemental services, for which it
> charges, eg, the fee-based RHN subscription service, the training
> courses (which are not available in Perth, eg, the RHCT course), and
> other such services, and, also, from expensive add-ons, eg, the RH
> server software packages, etc.
>
> That is what I have read, anyway.

Basically right. Most of the money comes from supplying services to big 
companies who want their Linux servers etc. maintained and looked after, and 
who sometimes offer sponsored free software work. RHL are the IBM of Linux. 
The point is there's only room for one or two of those. Mandrake never got a 
reputation as a server OS supplier, only desktop. AFAICS they never had a 
convincing way of making money from their efforts.

-- 
Microsoft Palladium: "Where the hell do you think YOU'RE going today?"