Un avis sur tout !

If you have read the article from Frederic, divorce is consummated, you can only fear for the future of Mandriva Linux. Indeed, the management of Mandriva mentions absolutely no point in its speeches in the press and it’s a safe bet that it sees no future in the Linux desktop and therefore there will devote no resources.

Therefore, the question of the sustainability of my Mandriva, which is installed on my computer arose. At a time when Ubuntu is already offering the beta of its forthcoming 10.10, Fedora announces its for late September, openSuse begin working on its future 11.4, even Debian is working on its next distribution – Squeeze – on Mandriva side it is a heavy silence. The latter is of no surprise anyway, Edge-IT is in liquidation, there is no internal ressource to Mandriva to propose a roadmap for a possible 2011, and less to achieve it. As Frédéric well recalled, « Edge-IT was the heart of Mandriva, since most of the « Mandriva employees » were actually employees of Edge-IT  » and without heart no distribution, QED!

This report done and especially accepted, being probably more difficult to accept, what to do? As a user I see only one choice: change. Yes, but change to what? The offer is both huge and limited. Huge as  a vast horizon has now opened to me, ranging from Windows, why not, to many Linux distributions and even to PC-BSD which has a tremendous asset to the user base that I am able to install windowsmodelike software through pbi. But the supply seems limited, Windows? I have version 7 on a computer and if it works pretty well, this is not the ideal paradigm. Other Linux distributions? I tested – superficially – some regularly but I always come back to Mandriva for its simplicity and it was also the last that I know best. PC-BSD? Pbi system is fantastic for all novices especially from Windows, but there are some shortcomings including the lack of a control center to administer the system. There is the possibility of not having a computer …

The only remaining possibility is a fork from the community. After all, if Mandriva is not interested in desktop Linux, let’s those interested in this project take control themselves without expecting anything in Mandriva. This could be the opportunity to flatten the organization and create synergies between talented developers, contributors and users. Muny has launched a survey on the French forum of Mandriva, « if you were to change your distribution » the discussion have became more extensive since early September (from page 8 of the topic). There are reflection on the life cycle, the very foundation of the distribution, release dates fixed or rolling, misunderstanding between developers and users, and so on.

Is it not possible to use these reflections to start a new distribution project?

That is the question I want to ask the entire community. That is the question I aks to the community!

I am sure there is a future for Linux to the desktop. That future can only be achieved by an alliance between all project stakeholders, from developer to the end user regardless of the skill they have. I want to stress this last point because I believe that future Linux distribution is the result of both the work of developers and others, they write the documentation for the end user, they make Video tutorials, they are working on the graphics, the look, they promote the distribution, and so on.

If a fork is resolved, I hope the organization to be set up to make room for each actor so that the distribution that will emerge will meet the needs of each user whether to develop, surf the Internet, manage a server, do video editing, and so forth.

Are you ready?

Si vous avez lu le billet de Frédéric, le divorce est consommé, vous ne pouvez que craindre quant à l’avenir de la distribution Mandriva Linux. En effet, la direction de Mandriva n’évoque absolument pas ce point lors de ses interventions dans la presse et il y a fort à parier qu’elle ne voit aucun avenir dans le bureau sous Linux et par conséquent n’y consacrera aucune ressource.

Dès lors, la question de la pérennité de ma Mandriva, celle qui est installé sur mon ordinateur se pose. À l’heure où Ubuntu propose déjà la beta de sa future 10.10, que Fedora annonce la sienne pour fin septembre, que openSuse met en chantier sa future 11.4, que même Debian travaille sur sa prochaine sortie – Squeeze – du côté de Mandriva c’est un silence pesant. Ce dernier n’est de toute façon pas étonnant, Edge-IT étant en liquidation judiciaire, il n’existe aucune ressource en interne à Mandriva pour proposer une feuille de route pour une éventuelle 2011, encore moins la réaliser. Comme l’a bien rappelé Frédéric « Edge-IT était le coeur de Mandriva, puisque la plupart des « salariés de Mandriva » étaient en réalité des salariés de Edge-IT » et sans cœur point de distribution, CQFD !

Ce constat fait et surtout accepté, le plus difficile étant sans doute de l’accepter, que faire ? En tant qu’utilisateur je ne vois qu’un seul choix possible : changer. Certes, mais changer pour quoi ? L’offre est à la fois vaste et restreinte. Vaste car s’offre désormais à moi un horizon immense, allant de Windows, pourquoi pas, aux très nombreuses distributions Linux et même pourquoi PC-BSD qui possède un atout extraordinaire pour l’utilisateur basique que je suis, la possibilité d’installer des logiciels àlawindows grâce aux pbi. Pourtant l’offre me paraît restreinte, Windows ? J’ai déjà la version 7 sur un ordinateur et si ça marche pas trop mal, ce n’est pas le paradigme rêvé. Les autres distributions Linux ? J’en teste – superficiellement – quelques unes régulièrement mais je reviens toujours à Mandriva pour sa simplicité et c’est également cette dernière que je connais le mieux. PC-BSD ? Le système de pbi est vraiment fantastique pour tous novices surtout en provenance de Windows, mais il y a quelques défauts notamment l’absence d’un centre de contrôle pour administrer le système. Il y a bien la possibilité de ne plus avoir d’ordinateur …

La seule possibilité restante est celle d’un fork de la part de la communauté. Après tout, si Mandriva n’est pas intéressé par le desktop sous Linux, autant que ceux qui sont intéressés par ce projet se prennent en main eux mêmes sans plus rien attendre de Mandriva. Ce pourrait être l’occasion de mettre à plat l’organisation et créer des synergies entre développeurs de talent, contributeurs et utilisateurs. Muny a lancé un sondage sur le forum francophone de Mandriva, « si vous deviez changer de distribution« , la discussion a repris de l’ampleur depuis début septembre (à partir de la page 8 du sujet de discussion). Il y a de la réflexion autour du cycle de vie, du fondement même de la distribution, sortie à date fixe ou rolling, de l’incompréhension entre développeurs et utilisateurs, etc.

N’est-il donc pas possible d’utiliser toutes ces réflexions pour mettre un route un nouveau projet de distribution ?

C’est la question que je veux poser à toute la communauté. C’est la question que je pose à toute la communauté !

Je suis persuadé qu’il y a un avenir pour Linux pour le bureau. Cet avenir ne peut passer que par une alliance entre toutes les parties prenantes aux projets, du développeur à l’utilisateur final quelle que soit la compétence dont elles disposent. Je veux insister sur ce dernier point car je crois qu’une distribution Linux d’avenir est le résultat aussi bien du travail des développeurs que d’autres personnes, qu’elles écrivent de la documentation pour l’utilisateur final, qu’elles réalisent des tutoriels vidéos, qu’elles travaillent sur le graphisme, le look, qu’elles promeuvent la distribution, etc.

Si un fork est décidé, je souhaite que l’organisation qui se mettra en place fasse place à ces différents acteurs pour que la distribution qui en émergera réponde aux besoins de chacun des utilisateurs que ce soit pour faire du développement, surfer sur internet, administrer un serveur, faire du montage vidéo, etc.

Êtes-vous prêt ?

Clarification : this article was written by Frédéric and not by myself – Olivier Méjean, accuracy is important if taken elsewhere and commented to the author to assign all the credit!

In my article of june 14, 2010 entitled Mandriva in the Storm, I mentioned the failure of successive directions of Mandriva to face the challenges of the future of this wonderful distribution. No decision of business strategy, no vision of the future, human and economic management under the unlikely, non-existent communication… in short a fiasco.

Anger also rumbled in the Association of French-speaking users of Mandriva Linux and with our German friends MandrivaUser.de (speaking community of users of Mandriva Linux) and jointly asked very formally to the direction of Mandriva in a  note published on June 18, 2010 :

« a clear message, especially about community support, free and public distribution Mandriva Linux, and cooker. We wish an open and constructive dialogue, which will allow a communication prone to  assure the continuation of the Mandriva Linux project.« 

This call was not isolated since it was validated by a large number of global communities, as recalled AUFML:

« Mandriva Linux French-speaking Users Association and MandrivaUser.de with the support of Colombian User Community (http://mandriva-co.com/), Dutch community (http://www.mandrivaclub.nl/site/index.php ), group MIB (http://mib.pianetalinux.org/mib/ ), Brazilian community (http://mandrivabrasil.org), Romanian community (http://www.mandrivausers.ro), Spanish-speaking community (http://blogdrake.net) and the Turkish community (http://forum.mandrivaturkiye.com/)« 

In response, Arnaud Laprévote, current Mandriva CEO, gave an interview to magazine LeMagIT which published on june 22, 2010 an article under extremely optimistic : « Mandriva save by investors« . Arnaud Laprévote claimed in it that he has found investors and difficulties were almost vanish « by magic », while being careful not to announce the name and the ideas of those mysterious investors and no word was said about challenges the society Mandriva would necessarily meet face to the Commercial Court in the continuation plan which the society is subjected to.

It is precisely at this moment that Mandriva stop relations with its community and whishes made by the CEO of the decisions involve overhauling the Board of Directors of the company quickly vanished. The board has been changed but to let enter Jean-Noël de Galzain who since since spread to the press (read « Jean-Noël de Galzain reprend Mandriva en main » by Silicon.fr or « Jean-Noël de Galzain : Wallix et Mandriva sont complémentaires » by Channel News) to explain that he will save Mandriva through investors he has found :

« I managed to find investors to save the company.

Mayonnaise made. We then prepared a development plan to be presented at the general assembly to be held September 17. It will decide the future strategy and management to put at the head of Mandriva. « 

There we go, who found investors to « save » Mandriva: Arnaud Laprévote or Jean-Noel De Galzain? It is not clear, but whatever, we are no longer there. This is the Balo which taught us that the lucky chosen seems to be the company Towners Trading and Investments Limited, a company based in CYPRUS established under Cypriot laws and that the capital would be further diluted in an attempt to wipe out the debts (attempt only seen the amount of retained earnings …). But the specter of a Russian fund is still not far off that we know what it is exactly.

These interviews taught us a little bit more on Jean-Noël De Galzain’s intentions who stated :

« In Mandriva range of products there are Pulse and MDS which are products of provisionning infrastructures management in a market similar to those of Wallix. There are many complementarities between us. Another point : Mandriva has the expertise and strong skills in systems. We can then work together for the benefit of both Wallix and Mandriva (…)

This strategy should succeed because the computer server market restart. »

It is clear that the new directors of the company now intends to turn to the only server market, cutting off from the society the larger part of its products, while saying :

« There have been attempts to finish off Mandriva and dismember the company. Fortunately, we arrived with a different plan. « 

I consider it a beautiful contradiction, since most of the company’s products are marketed to the general public and that the server versions are themselves based on the edition Mandriva FREE, consumer publishing. But as we, the community, have become particularly troublesome with our questions, we are told nothing. However, no question for the society Mandriva to express it officially, without any doubt prefering to tack, and still enjoy contributors’ work (translations, debugging, etc..).

But while top management tries to present the press with a positive image, the reality of a slow agony that has now lasted several years continues to result in a huge mess: skills left in the wild and layoffs.

In fact, if you follow me on Twitter, you certainly learned that following the declaration of insolvency by Arnaud Laprévote, the Commercial Court of Paris opened September 2, 2010 an immediate liquidation proceedings against the company Edge IT, a subsidiary of Mandriva, and dated the liquidation back to March 2, 2009 (18 months – the statutory maximum).

For those unaware, Edge-IT was the heart of Mandriva, since most of the « Mandriva employees » were actually employees of Edge-IT. Today about fifteen employees who will be dismissed for economic reasons.

At the same time, the invitation to the Extraordinary General Assembly of shareholders « teach us » that the company Conectiva, the Brazilian subsidiary :

«  (…) should have a judicial recuperation needed to continue its activity« .

Clearly, public speeches have nothing credible and it is the general feeling that emerged from discussions between users on the forum of Mandriva. In recent months throughout which we were told that Mandriva would be saved, disappointment continues.

No need to be clairvoyant to understand that the famous Russian investor, if any, only wants to take the brand Mandriva, since it is still the most valued. The development in France may turn off to the benefit of a build system certainly copied and exported elsewhere.

And all this without counting future decisions of the Commercial Court. From my experience, everything suggests that an extension to all group companies will be decided without even mentioning the other possibilities that are emerging about leaders who have knowingly allowed a company in difficulties persist. But all this, only time will tell because I am not soothsayer.

In my case, divorce is consummated … that management does not suit me.

The community begins to simmer around a fork, since the community is no longer interesting. It may soon be ripe to speak with one voice and act together. So if you’re a business leader, you have a little courage and that you are interested, we have a number of people willing to volunteer work! Leave a message

Frédéric CUIF, cofounder of AUFML

addendum on september 6 at 00:13

The invitation to the Extraordinary General Assembly of shareholders specifies :

« On the organisation plan of the group
The subsidiary Edge-IT has declared cease of payment on july 2010 whereas the society Connectiva should have a judicial recuperation needed to continue its activity.
The new strategy aims to recenter Mandriva on few sectors and markets to avoid the too large disperion of nowadays, so in a no exclusive matter, Mandriva will concentrate on servers, OEM for education.« 

The strategy is now clear and in that context,  Olivier’s comment make any sense.