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MandrakeSoft Going Public In France July 30
LiteForce writes: "MandrakeSoft are going public on July 30th on the European Stock Exchange. U.S. residents are not currently eligible to take part (only French residents are permitted). You can read the scoop on MandrakeSoft's site here." This is the IPO (then in progress) mentioned here shortly ago, but now they have the go-ahead; there's also an exchange on Mandrake's discussion forum. Congratulations over there!
When IPOs go to the nouveau marche or second marche, for which you have more conditions to fulfill, and where most mid and small caps go, anyone can subscribe.
-- "It's a sad day for American capitalism when a man can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park" - Jim Moran
If they really did intend that only French residents should read the information, as the legalese states, do you really think they'd bother putting up a copy in English?
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
Don't whine about how this guarantees the destruction of Mandrakesoft.
BUY SOME MANDRAKESOFT STOCK!!
Get your own voice in the company and be heard. The company goes the way the stockholders say, and if the stockholders say "go for the long term," then they'll go for the long term.
The problem is with the stock holders and their new "more more more now now now" approach. If you think you'd be better, then buy your way into mandrakesoft BEFORE they do.
After all, softie probably has a copyright on the word "soft".
On your aside #2: I disagree that the Versailles treaty (which specified the amount of German reparations) is what led Hitler to power. It's a myth popular among francophobic, but it's just a myth.
Granted, the Versailles treaty is for a large part responsible for the collapse of the German economy and the hyperinflation of the early 20s. But these problems were basically solved in 1923-1924. Hitler came to power ten years later, and would have come to power anyway, with or without a Versailles treaty. Germany had been on an "experimental" mood for 130 years (i.e. since Fichte's speeches on the German nation) on how far it could push the idea of "one people, one nation" (and later "one people, one race, one nation"), and HAD TO, at some point, try an extreme experience.
The French behavior in 1919 is indeed shameful and revenge-inspired; Germany was not the real responsible for WWI; the Austrian empire and Russia were. But the Austrian empire had been destroyed, and the Communist Russia of 1918 was not the Tsarist Russia of 1914; Germany was the only one left, and somebody had to pay... The French behavior in the 30s, after Hitler seized power is also pathetic. Not to mention the absolute incompetence of its military leadership in 1940. But, still, the French cannot be considered responsible for the election of Hitler. The Germans were deeply antisemitic, even more than the rest of Europe (France included), obsessed with their vision of "one nation, one people, one race, one culture" and were doomed to put Hitler's vision in practice one way or another.
Otherwise, I do think that the USSR would have crushed nazi Germany even without the USA. But that's exactly the reason why I'm even more grateful to Americans to have invaded Normandy: at the end of the day, the US did not really save my country from Hitler, but it saved my country from Stalin. Hitler would not have lasted for long anyway, but the USSR did. Had France been part of the Soviet block, its "decline" and sufferings would have been much, much worse than what it endured during WWII.
Only residents of France, eh?
Hank Scorpio (getting ready to target the big laser): "By the way, Homer, what's your least favorite country, Italy or France?"
Homer: "France."
Scorpio: "Hah hah. Nobody ever says Italy."
--
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
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Nobox: Only simple products.
The temptation was there and the will wasn't strong. So I looked (everyone say a quick prayer for the soul of MSBob) and I saw it all bare naked:
688,480 shares @ 6.2 euro/share.
Your pizza just the way you ought to have it.
you mother was a red hat and your father smelled of debian
Ha! After the disaster with the Maginot Line, do you really think I'll use their distribution for my firewall!?
Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.
This is not great news.
Although some folks might (and just might) be able to collect on their options, for the rest of us this is bad news.
Why?
1. Loss of control
This business is currently run by a close-knit team. This is sure to change radically when the bottom line becomes short-term profitability, and when the long-term vision is dropped.
2. Technology Dilution
Technology moves quickly. But in order to keep shareholders happy, it will make sense not to compete head-to-head with the bigger guns such as RedHat.
In addition, partnerships will become more important. These days, partnerships are all about leveraging each other's monopolies. This is a naturally closed world.
So this isn't good stuff folks. SUre, it's great fun for the 17 people who'll be able to retire, but it isn't necessarily good for the industry or the users.