[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: kde's future
From:       Vadim Plessky <lucy-ples () mtu-net ! ru>
Date:       2000-12-31 11:55:54
[Download RAW message or body]

Sunday 31 December 2000 09:16, Hetz Ben Hamo ΞΑΠΙΣΑΜ:
|   Here is my take ...
|
|   To me, Eazel seems to be few people who've seen Linux, thought about
| helping with GNOME, slapping a candy looking file manager, add Mozilla,
| free hosting (up to 25MB), and a service to let you install software
| automatically (by paying ofcouse, rumors are circling around that the free
| download will be something like 5% of their database)
|
Will it be interesting to KDE community if somebody will offer free web 
hosting (to KDE users?)
I don't know how we can distinguish KDE and non-KDE users, but this should be 
benefit to people who use KDE, IMHO.

|   Few days after our free product (Aduva Manager) went out, someone from
| the GNOME channel contact me and started to scream that we're killing their
| financial plan by offering what's Eazel plan to make money - we'll give for
| free..
|
Can you provide some more details on Aduva, please?

It doesn't surprise me that GNOME/Eazel people do not have realistic business 
plan. I hardly belive that they can break-even on any kind of business 
services in next 5 years.
VA Linux is the company which knows what they are doing, IMHO.
They sell good hardware with customized Linux kernel. People are paying for 
this. Their solutions are attractive and perform well.
SuSE is also doing good job. They working closely with IBM on OS/390 [Linux], 
and porting Linux to AMD's SledgeHammer 64-bit chip.
Mandrake is doing pretty well in US Retail. 

Still, VA Linux, which is traded publicaly on NASDAQ, have losses.
And no indication when these losses stop...

So, what we really can expect from HelixCode and Eazel, in this case?... 
 
|   That remark made me laugh from one reason - our business plan is to make
| money from corporates with a totally different product (detailes on it will
| be published in LinuxWorld)...
|
|   We had in our company a meeting to talk about this: The situation shows
| that companies like Eazel's, as well as Helix code are at - Their trusting
| too much on the "maybe" or "hope they will use our services" way to make
| profit. Maybe if you'll install GNOME 2.0, and maybe you'll be ready to pay
| them each month few dollars for installing RPM's automatically, And maybe
| you will use Helix's content services and pay for them.. I'm not sure if
| this is a good way to make money (and you just need to read in the last few
| days web sites like ZDNet and other to see what happends to dot coms like
| the above)..
|
|   Here is a small example: Everybody heards about the deal betwen Eazel's
| and Dell to pre-install GNOME on all Dell Notebooks and workstations that
| will be installed with Linux...

Yes, and Sun will preinstall Ezael software in Q3-2001 on its workstations.
I do not think that Sun will pay to Eazel for this...

|
|   >From that deal - Dell got a free publicity opportunity, and Eazel's
|   > didn't get
|
|   not even 1 cent! - they HOPE that Dell's owner will use their service..
| and they call this a business plan :)
|
|   Irony time: It seems that KDE development is moved by the free spirit,
| while GNOME is moved by the commercial companies. Yet, the KDE development
| is much further then GNOME with all the money invested there :)

We should keep this Free Spirit from Dirty Money (tm).
And KDE will be on many Desktops, competing with MS Windows and beating it!

And, I hope in 2001 many companies will reqruit KDE developers to speed up 
upcoming KDE releases!

Happy New Year! 

-- 

Vadim Plessky
http://kde2.newmail.ru  (English)
http://kde2.newmail.ru/index_rus.html  (Russian)
Do you have Arial font installed? Just test it!
http://kde2.newmail.ru/font_test_arial.html
 
>> Visit http://master.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-devel#unsub to unsubscribe <<

[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]