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Talkback
http://blog.mandriva.com/2007/10/31/an-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer/
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!
And here is the original press release when the deal with Nigeria was annonced by Mandriva
http://www.mandriva.com/enterprise/en/company/press/nigerian-education-selects-intel-powered-classmate-pc-with-mandriva-linux
Mandriva today announced that the Nigerian government has selected Intel-powered classmate PCs running on Mandriva Linux for educational use in nationwide pilot in Nigeria. Mandriva is working with Intel Corporation and Technology Support Center Ltd. to provide 17,000 Intel-powered classmate PC. The aim of this project is to improve the quality of technology delivered to students, and to help teachers and parents.
The Intel-powered classmate PC is a small, rugged, mobile educational solution specially designed for primary students in emerging markets. Shipped in May this year, this fully functional PC is currently being piloted in more than 25 countries around the world. Nigeria was one of the first countries to run pilots of Intel-powered classmate PCs in their schools.
Nigerian government’s decision to choose Mandriva Linux to run on classmate PCs reaffirmed Mandriva Linux as one of the most popular Linux distributions in the world. Mandriva's emerging market strategy is based around a network of local partners and OEM agreements with hardware providers. Mandriva has been working with Intel on classmate PCs since the very beginning, making Mandriva Linux one of the first operating systems to run on the machine. The classmate PCs provided to Nigeria will run a customized version of Mandriva Linux 2007 built on Mandriva Flash technology. This edition has been tailored to classmate PCs hardware with a unique launcher application which makes it easier to access the most commonly needed applications.
"We are delighted to participate in this project along with our partners, and to help bring Mandriva Linux and open source applications to Nigeria. This operation validates our approach of cooperating with Intel on the classmate PC and of leveraging our local presence in a country such as Nigeria," said David Barth, CTO and Vice President of the Consumer Business Unit for Mandriva.
The Intel-powered classmate PC will be used in local Nigerian schools by teachers, parents and students. Students will use them to learn about IT technology and to assist them with class research. Teachers will use them to improve their computing skills and to help them track students and projects.
"Based on the needs of the community, the Intel-powered classmate PC will assist a communities that have been previously underserved. The classmate PC's features for teachers and parents will also help them focus on education," said Dele Ajisomo, President of Mandriva West Africa.
Intel-powered classmate PCs use a low power Intel processor for good performance and battery life. These mobile PCs feature a 2 GB of internal flash storage, WiFi mobile technology, as well as anti-theft applications, classroom management and a content filter. These mobile PCs are designed to deliver the right performance to support essential learning applications and experiences.
“The TSC is proud to open the doors of Technology Enabled Learning and to be part of the team enhancing the quality of education delivery in Nigeria. The Technology Support Center and Mandriva working together provide high quality open source solutions to facilitate technology adoption, knowledge based economic empowerment, technology diffusion in some of the most remote and underserved areas of Africa”, said Nyimbi Odero, CEO Technology Support Center .
François Bancilhon should know better than to bump heads with M$. You can't be honest and straightforward with people who will stop at nothing to get their way. Being honest and sincere is not a common trait at Redmond.
I think that what Microsoft has done is fundementally wrong. But to address it in such a way as a supposed ligitimate bussiness man is innapropriate. By posting this he will have damaged his reputation to any other potential customer for his distribution which is a shame.
I have followed this story for some days now, most of the people making claims on the issues of greasing pples palm for the change, should have their minds properly reset. We are in an environment were computing knowledge is very low on the part of the teachers, some teachers are just getting exposed to the PC may be for the first time, and the learning curve on their part is long. You just expect them to jump on the bandwagon of linux not only for them selves but to use it to teach others...i mean you know the result already, i believe, it must have been Mandriva who must have *logically* influence the purchase, of not only the system but their OS, in a businessman style. I believe in linux. But, this is important to other vendors when supplying solutions to such type of markets pls don't think about your dollar only, think also about the pple u are selling the solution to, else n o one will use it and it will gather dust.
To me Windows is the most commonest OS around here and easier for them to start from may be later they can move to linux this is a re-think and i don't think it is bad.