Mandriva: An Open letter to Steve Ballmer

Dj_Jestar

Dj_Jestar

Dj_Jestar

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Backstory: Mandriva was the chosen operating system for the $100 laptop scheme in Nigeria. At the last minute, the Nigerian govt. mysteriously changed their mind, and opted to not only pay for Mandriva anyway, but to install Windows after they had received the laptops. Needless to say, it's upset a few people.

There is a blog item on http://blog.mandriva.org/, but it has swearing (in the comments) so I shan't post a direct link.
Dear Steve,

Hi, this is François, from Mandriva.

I’m sure we’re way too small for you to know me. You know, we’re one of these tiny Linux company working hard for our place on the market. We produce a Linux Distro, Mandriva Linux. The last edition, Mandriva 2008 was seen as a pretty good version and we’re proud of it. You should give it a spin, I’m sure you’d like it. We also happen to be one of the Linux companies that did not sign an agreement with your company (nobody’s perfect).

We recently closed a deal with the Nigerian Government. Maybe you heard about it, Steve. They were looking for an affordable hardware+software solution for their schools. The initial batch was 17,000 machines. We had a good answer to their need: the Classmate PC from Intel, with a customized Mandriva Linux solution. We presented the solution to the local government, they liked the machine, they liked our system, they liked what we offered them, the fact that it was open, that we could customize it for their country and so on.

Then your people entered the game and the deal got more competitive. I would not say it got dirty, but someone could have said that. They fought and fought the deal, but still the customer was happy to get CMPC and Mandriva.

So we closed the deal, we got the order, we qualified the software, we got the machine shipped. In other word, we did our job. I understand the machine are being delivered right now.

And then, today, we hear from the customer a totally different story: “we shall pay for the Mandriva Software as agreed, but we shall replace it by Windows afterward.”

Wow! I’m impressed, Steve! What have you done for these guys to change their mind like this? It’s pretty clear to me, and it will be clear to everyone. How do you call what you just did Steve, in the place where you live? In my place, they give it various names, I’m sure you know them.

Hey Steve, how do you feel looking at yourself in the mirror in the morning?

Of course, I will keep fighting this one and the next one, and the next one. You have the money, the power, and maybe we have a different sense of ethics you and I, but I believe that hard work, good technology and ethics can win too.

cheers

François

PS: a message to our friends in Nigeria: it’s still time to do the right thing and make the right choice, you will get lots of support for it and excellent services!
Click to expand...
 
Think of the children!

Poor kids, should've been receiving simple laptops for simple applications.
Now they'll end up with bloated devices, branded by "Intel Inside" stickers and MS Windows. Does it come with pre-installed bookmarks to YouTube and MySpace?
 
So Mandriva lost a deal. It happens. No need to be a sore loser and post public letters to the world.

Nice move from MS though, must have taken some work to get them to change that late on in a project.
 
I think Mandriva are narked off that MS would have been employing some pretty underhand tactics just to be able to score this deal.

I don't think it would have been very difficult for MS at all. They only had to offer Windows for free or for a ridiculously small fee on these 17,000 laptops. This would get the Nigerian government interested. However, once MS have got the Nigerian government on board, I bet they'll find that the licences for the next batch of laptops are suddenly much higher in price.

It's kinda like the crack dealer school of pricing.

Plus, MS are prepared to do anything to try and thwart the take-up of Linux in developing countries. They sell Windows and Office for the equivalent of a handful of pennies in the Far East. This results in Windows being the dominant OS for another generation, as opposed to Linux, which means the majority of the kids are less likely to be singing the praises of the penguin when they start their IT careers. We see it on these forums every week - Windows users complaining that the *nix way of doing things doesn't make sense to them because they've been brainwashed into thinking that a hard drive has to be called C: and a reboot is always required after anything has been installed.

Offering 17,000 cut price Windows licences is a small price to pay for a continued dominance, and also to prevent Mandriva (and other Linux zealots) claiming "one over" on Microsoft.
 
So the laptops have shipped with Mandriva? And they now have 17,000 additional Windows licenses to get through? Glad I don't work in that IT department.

Just come across this article on The Register from yesterday link.

But he also said that Microsoft was in the midst of negotiating an additional agreement with TSC. Under the deal, Microsoft would give TSC $400,000 for "marketing activities" related to the machines - if they're converted to Windows.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, it all becomes so clear. ;)
 
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$$$$$ Kerrr-ching.

So those oh-so-ethical Nigerians either have to pay an undisclosed amount to Mandriva to use their Linux distro on the laptops, or they switch to Microsoft and receive $400,000 for doing so. Wow, that's one helluva tough decision there.

It really does make me laugh that Microsoft have to stoop quite so low as to paying someone to use Windows instead of Linux. :D
 
As you stated earlier Gareth, it would still be worth microsoft dropping $400k to ensure that the core of Nigeria use Microsoft instead of linux.
 
Are MS really that desperate that they have to pay people to swing to windows!
Im sure long term they will gain a lot more from there initial 400k investment.

Or did MS fall for the Nigerian scam? :p
 
There are dark forces at work here. There are people, those that want control, that do not like the idea of open source because it gives control to the users. :(
 
ok, I was wetting myself all the way through this thread...

ok, first, I'm a linux convert.... anyone with just an MCSE after their name gets laughed at if they call them selves an IT professional...

Second, the dominatrix bill gates likes to use the gag and chains...

Third, if MS caries on 'giving' windows away, their profits are surely going to get hit sooner or later....

MS have made all windows versions easyer to use... I can teach my 13 year old neice to pass the MSCE... long gone are the fun days of NT4...soon employers will realise that any numpty can manage a ms network and then all hell breakes loose...

Just my thaughts....
 
yoda said:
ok, first, I'm a linux convert.... anyone with just an MCSE after their name gets laughed at if they call them selves an IT professional...
Click to expand...

Hmmm... Consider myself laughed at then. :eek: Or is it just that Microsoft bashing is cool in L&OS? :rolleyes:
 
yoda said:
ok, first, I'm a linux convert.... anyone with just an MCSE after their name gets laughed at if they call them selves an IT professional...
Click to expand...
In my estimation you may call yourself an IT professional if your profession is in the field of IT. It has nothing to do with certifications.
 
yoda said:
Third, if MS caries on 'giving' windows away, their profits are surely going to get hit sooner or later....
Click to expand...

Trouble is, that MS is so wealthy, that by the time they notice even the smallest nitch in their multi-gazillion dollar monopoly accounts, they will have wiped out or bought out the competition anyway, so they dont really care at all.
 
yoda said:
ok, I was wetting myself all the way through this thread...

ok, first, I'm a linux convert.... anyone with just an MCSE after their name gets laughed at if they call them selves an IT professional...

Second, the dominatrix bill gates likes to use the gag and chains...

Third, if MS caries on 'giving' windows away, their profits are surely going to get hit sooner or later....

MS have made all windows versions easyer to use... I can teach my 13 year old neice to pass the MSCE... long gone are the fun days of NT4...soon employers will realise that any numpty can manage a ms network and then all hell breakes loose...

Just my thaughts....
Click to expand...

Have you been smoking crack? Or did you let your 13 year old daughter write the above?
 
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