Mandrake Linux 9.2, Adware Version

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Mandrake Linux 9.2, Adware Version

Posted by michael on Friday September 12, 2003 @02:42AM from the maybe-microsoft-will-advertise dept.

thedarb writes "Mandrake has decided to sell ads to be seen during installation, web browsing and in screen savers. This all comes in their upcoming 9.2 release. Seven G's and you could put your face in their installer." Update: 09/12 18:07 GMT by M : Mandrake has a page about the ads.

41 of 618 comments (clear)

Moral compass? by mao+che+minh · 2003-09-12 02:42 · Score: 5, Funny

The real question is: will Mandrake accept all advertisement requests? I hope not - I hope Mandrake excercies a certain degree of moral judgement in their decision making.
I would hate to have to relive those all of those "You can enlarge your penis!!" moments, or once again be haunted by "Britney XXX HOT and young CAUGHT J-Lo action action!!".
Now, that's not to say that I would be apprehensive towards "Jenna" advertisements. Those always bring a smile to my face.
1. Re:Moral compass? by ultrabot · 2003-09-12 02:45 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  or once again be haunted by "Britney XXX HOT and young CAUGHT J-Lo action action!!".
  
  If they include free samples, I'm not complaining. How often do you get to watch pr0n legitimately at work, anyway?
  
  --
  Save your wrists today - switch to Dvorak
2. Re:Moral compass? by 7759-60784-1-E · 2003-09-12 02:46 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  > I would hate to have to relive those all of those "You can enlarge your penis!!" moments, or once again be haunted by "Britney XXX HOT and young CAUGHT J-Lo action action!!".
  
  Fortunately, none of those will be accepted. This'll leave room for the REALLY good stuff, like offers from Nigerians that'll make us millionaires!
3. Re:Moral compass? by fairly+disappointing · 2003-09-12 02:49 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Or an SCO sponsored random press-release generating screen-saver, for that matter.
4. Re:Moral compass? by JohnTheFisherman · 2003-09-12 02:49 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  That pretty much leaves only one advertiser that might want to target Linux users. ;)
  
  --
  +5:offtopic,but anti-American
5. Re:Moral compass? by xanadu-xtroot.com · 2003-09-12 03:14 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  How often do you get to watch pr0n legitimately at work, anyway?
  
  I guess that would depend on if your name is something like Ron Jeremy or not...
  
  :-)
  
  --
  I'm not a prophet or a stone-age man,
  I'm just a mortal with potential of a super man.
6. Re:Moral compass? by smatt-man · 2003-09-12 03:18 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Or worse... Microsoft, where do you want to go today?
  
  Or, I'm sure SCO has 7 large... Have you paid SCO $699 to run this?
  
  --
  
  ---
  Lousy rotten karmic retribution.
7. Re:Moral compass? by iceburn · 2003-09-12 03:23 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  How often do you get to watch pr0n legitimately at work, anyway?
  My guess would be once.
  
  --
  A sphincter says what?
8. Re:Moral compass? by Galvatron · 2003-09-12 03:24 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  That's a good point (not that they couldn't put in text-based ads, but it seems less likely). Any word on whether the graphical installer still has problems with USB mice?
  
  --
  "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
9. Re:Moral compass? by tmark · 2003-09-12 03:43 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I would hate to have to relive those all of those "You can enlarge your penis!!" moments
  
  Why not ? Talk about targeted marketing at its zenith...
10. Re:Moral compass? by Thing+1 · 2003-09-12 04:30 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  How often do you get to watch pr0n legitimately at work, anyway?
  
  Back in the day (mid-90s) there was no animated internet porn; we had to make do with still images. I worked at a software company and we were developing a compression technique for sending images from a server to a client.
  To make sure that the images came across correctly, we tested it with what we termed the "nipple pallette."
  Ah, the 90s...
  
  --
  I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
11. Re:Moral compass? by garvon · 2003-09-12 04:42 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  All of the time.I am sysadmin / programmer
  for an internet porn company. Used to joke that it was the only job where you would be reading a news site then quick popup a porn site when the boss was comming to look like you are working.
12. Re:Moral compass? by rot26 · 2003-09-12 04:51 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I used to work for a company that make kiosks. We had a potential client flying in for a demo one day, and I had set up some sample pages/ads/images for them. Before they arrived, some of the accounting type women from upstairs happened by my area and noticed on the demo system what Kurt Vonnegut referred to as "wide open beaver". Cackling gleefully they ran off to tell everybody who would listen how offended they were, and that I could kiss my ass goodbye. Unfortunately for them, the potential client was a chain of "gentlemen's clubs" in Las Vegas, and my demo was considered not only appropriate, but very well done. Ha. Eplilogue: I was the ultimately the last employee to be laid off, which I guess these days is about as close to success as you can usually expect.
  
  --
  
  To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
13. Re:Moral compass? by TigerTime · 2003-09-12 06:51 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  What would be even funnier is if Bill Gates sent in $7Gs with a picture of his ass to be displayed.
14. Re:Moral compass? by Guignol · 2003-09-12 08:41 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I order you to drink a beer !
  right now
  
  don't mention it...
15. Re:Moral compass? by Cederic · 2003-09-12 09:17 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  >> popup a porn site when the boss was comming
  
  Working there you kinda need to be careful of your terminology.
  
  ~Cederic
  ps: unless? eek!
This is do-able... by grub · 2003-09-12 02:43 · Score: 5, Funny

"Seven G's and you could put your face in their installer."

Collectively I'm sure we could scrape together $7K to have the goatse.cx guy in all his glory on this..

--
Trolling is a art,
1. Re:This is do-able... by TrekkieGod · 2003-09-12 02:49 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Collectively I'm sure we could scrape together $7K to have the goatse.cx guy in all his glory on this..
  Ok, that's it! I'm going back to Windows.
  
  --
  Warning: Opinions known to be heavily biased.
Linux sucks by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-12 02:48 · Score: 3, Funny

So now I can watch ads while never being able to get my sound card to work.
I can see the Advertising now by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-12 02:52 · Score: 2, Funny

Please pay SCO $699 before using this Operating System.
Re:Touching... by airyk · 2003-09-12 02:56 · Score: 2, Funny

Stay out of his way, folks. He don't give a shit. He's so bad ass to stand up to the mods like that. I only hope his act of bravery and courage will encourage others to not give a shit as well.
Ads: by Rumagent · 2003-09-12 02:56 · Score: 2, Funny

"It is not too late! Call your local MS dealer now, and get windows today"

... and I am not even going to touch the sco-stuff:)
Re:wasn't it proven? by Channard · 2003-09-12 02:57 · Score: 2, Funny

it would be funny to see ads for microsoft software on there tho...
Don't be daft. You'd never get Microsoft ads with a company that is so clearly Linux-biased. *Looks up at ad banner.* Oh, hang on a second.
Oblig SCO comment by dcocos · 2003-09-12 02:59 · Score: 5, Funny

I wonder if SCO will buy an ad to remind people to send in their $699
Re:This is do-able...Akkk! Thrrrp! by hplasm · 2003-09-12 03:02 · Score: 3, Funny

The phrases "This is do-able" and "..the goatse.cx guy in all his glory.." sit uneasily together in my mind...

--
...and he grinned, like a fox eating shit out of a wire brush.
Re:How difficult is removal by nitehawk214 · 2003-09-12 03:02 · Score: 3, Funny

Makes me wonder how difficult it would be to remove all the adware for a Linux expert ??
I believe the answer you are looking for is "priceless".

--
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
Re:wasn't it proven? by ajs · 2003-09-12 03:04 · Score: 2, Funny

Wasn't it proven that you can't post an absolute statement on a web site whose very existance refutes your statement? Hmmm... I guess not. Oh well. ;-)
We Really Should ... by GNUALMAFUERTE · 2003-09-12 03:07 · Score: 2, Funny

Put some money together and put an Slackware Banner on their installer ... that would be nice ...

Another Good Think would be to put a fake error messge:

"oops. This distro is Really *Broken* and it just Hang Up During Install, If you reboot ASAP you may still have a chance to recover your partition table."

jejej, what people do for some money ...

--
WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
Obligatory MS comment by Andrewkov · 2003-09-12 03:08 · Score: 3, Funny

I can just imagine the Microsoft sponsored splash screen on the Mandrake installer: "Welcome to Mandrake Linux installer! Your life would be much easier if you were currently installing Windows XP Professional!"
Reminds me of Howrad Stern. by spineboy · 2003-09-12 03:11 · Score: 3, Funny

He wanted to get enough money to buy the box seat right in back of home plate, and fill it with all sorts of freaks, transvestites, dwarfs, Beetlejuice, and hideously ugly people. That way you would see these people everytime they showed a guy at bat. I still laugh everytime I think of it.

--
..........FULL STOP.
1. Re:Reminds me of Howrad Stern. by drooling-dog · 2003-09-12 06:16 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Oh... So I guess I'd better stop braaging about that invitation I got...
Aren't there ads in Linux software already? by fuqqer · 2003-09-12 03:15 · Score: 2, Funny

Jeez, when I compiled something on my former Redhat or Mandrake boxes, I got these advertisements saying I needed this or that by some company called RPM? Now I get all these crazy micro advertisements when I try and install stuff on my Slackware box...some products called gcc automake and "checking for"? I have to go out and buy this stuff.

Granted it's better than the zip company ads or buy this MS product commercials I saw back when I was installing Windows software.

Now back to the reality ans seriousness. Advertisements are all right. I think it's not necessarily in following with the spirit of the Linux community. But it is a valid business practice. I mean, we all had the choice not to use windows, we have the choice not to use Mandrake too. Just like Kazaa vs. Kazaalite.

non sig o' the day - Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.
I wonder if... by xaoslaad · 2003-09-12 03:16 · Score: 2, Funny

Darl McBride will buy a spot so he can point at you all Uncle Sam-esque with the words "Say no to Linux" over his head
Re:WTF!! by nocomment · 2003-09-12 03:43 · Score: 2, Funny

Regular screen savers will be replaced by advertising in the download version of Mandrake Linux.

I bet you posted that using the download version of Opera didn't you? ;-)
*sigh*
Some people really should actually read the articles before posting, but then, it just wouldn't be /. would it?

--
/* oops I accidentally made a comment, sorry */
/* http://allyourbasearebelongto.us */
I would get upset and angry, except... by drywater · 2003-09-12 03:44 · Score: 2, Funny

I use SuSE.
You go, boy! by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-12 03:55 · Score: 2, Funny

SCO & MS (note no hyperlinx, heh heh)

Yeah! Way to stick it to the man. Mentioning their name & not providing a link. That'll teach 'em!

Douchebag.

SCO
MS
Re:WTF!! by NialScorva · 2003-09-12 04:06 · Score: 2, Funny

I think your foil hat is wrapped a little too tightly.
SAVE YOURSELF! ITS TOO LATE FOR ME! by stfvon007 · 2003-09-12 04:39 · Score: 2, Funny

AAAAA! THERE AFTER ME! THERE GONNA GET ME!!!!! ****WHAM!**** (monitone voice) Must... buy... penis... enlargement.. and... microsoft... products.... Must... send... SCO... $699...

--
All misspellings and grammatical errors in the above post are intentional and part of my artistic expression.
Re:This is do-able...Akkk! Thrrrp! by Mr.Sharpy · 2003-09-12 04:41 · Score: 4, Funny

The phrases "This is do-able" and "..the goatse.cx guy in all his glory.." sit uneasily together in my mind...

I would imagine that the goatse.cx guy sits uneasily anywhere.
Microsoft's in-ad for the Mandrake installer: by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-12 07:27 · Score: 1, Funny

While you install mandrake:

"Ad messages from Microsoft"

- Make sure you have the next week off if you want to
watch DVD's on the system you're now installing.
Did you know your system requires manual installation of DeCSS? If you don't know what we're jabbering about
consider switching to Windows now and free yourself
from hard work and intelligent efforts!

- If you continue this installation , we will make sure you'll never chat with your friends again! MSN-IM will not be
Linux compatible in the future! Switch back - stay in touch . With your fuzzy friends at Microsoft.

- You have been warned, continue with this installation of Mandrake Linux and we'll re-invent HTML code and
never make a standard, that way - you'll only be able to enjoy online content if you use Internet Explorer on a
windows system only. Come back to us - don't be left out in the cold.

- Your system is almost installed, but
Remember - We've got more money than you.
Do you really think you can make it on your own? File incompatabillity, when you send off that portfolio CD
that just wont work on your future employers PC....

Switch Back now before it's too late,
and besides...we love...your money.
Location, location, location by mdavids · 2003-09-12 09:28 · Score: 3, Funny

Meanwhile, Debian will be announcing that it will be charging $5 a pop for advertising in it's installer.

The price difference is only fair; a Mandrake user will see the ads a couple of times a year, while a Debian user will only see the ads once during the lifetime of the machine.

Stay tuned for the announcement when or if the new Debian installer is ready.