Slashdot Mirror
Mandrake Linux 9.2, Adware Version
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.
There might be other slow-loading free software projects that could benefit from this, too, such as KDE or Mozilla. As long as the ads are for techie/computer stuff that's interesting I'm cool with it.
I never vote for anyone. I always vote against.
-- W.C. Fields
The advertising is only applied to the free download version - if you buy it in the shops, you don't get advertising.
Read the article, it is only during installation if you bother to use your own startpage for the browser and configure a new screensaver. It is not adware like you are used to.
RTFA. The advertisements are only in the download edition. Sounds very reasonable.
Web site ad revenues aren't spotty, they're quite good. Do you think Google is having problems finding advertisers?
The trouble is that any doofus who runs a web site expects that clickthrough banner ads should generate some revenue. Webmasters try to generate revenue from mediocre traffic. You can't do that in any other form of advertising, so I don't see why you should be able to on the web.
The web site I run at work generates about $350,000/year in legitimate ads (Ford, TD Bank, Esso, McDonalds, Government of Canada, etc) and none of that money comes from clickthroughs. We charge appropriately for the size of the audience and because we have good audience demographic information it makes it really easy to sell ads. And no popups!
The global economy is a great thing until you feel it locally.
"Following up on a story appearing this morning at DesktopLinux.com about MandrakeSoft selling ads in their free download version of Mandrake Linux, I contacted Gael Duval at MandrakeSoft for more detail on the new advertising/revenue source.
Duval pointed out that advertising in Mandrake Linux is not really a new thing. There have been ads for Mandrake Linux, MandrakeSoft products, and for free software projects in the installation all along. They introduced paid advertising in the Safari Service in Mandrake Linux 9.l. Duval says that in version 9.2 they are just advancing that concept a little further.
Duval said the boxed versions of Mandrake 9.2 will not include any paid ads, but that the free download edition (the choice of 90% of Mandrake users) "will now include several additional ads, in the bookmarks and in the screensavers." He noted there will be no annoying pop-up ads.
He added that most Mandrake users want to see them continue to operate in the spirit of free software while at the same time being successful as a business. These new ads, Duval said, are one way that MandrakeSoft tries "to solve this equation."
More details on the advertising, including pricing, is available on the MandrakeSoft web site.
See Joe Barr's article.
Well, if you keep buying Mandrake boxes, you don't have to worry: only the download version contains ads.
Just read the article, it's during the installer, in the bookmarks and the default browser home pages. The latter two can be changed. Sounds like a pretty good idea for a free distribution.
Of those to whom much is given, much is required.
Yeah but looking elsewhere while browsing the web kinda defeats the purpose.
RTFA! Mandrake stated that you can easily remove the ads.
They're just some default bookmarks and the default home page.
You do know how to change the defaults, don't you?
Anyway, it pays for the distro. I'd rather have some advertiser pay for my next upgrade than have to pay for it myself.
It seems like mandrake are aware of not overdoing it.
You make the mistake of thinking you can educate the fundamental stupidity out of people. You can't.