14 DAY TRIAL // Mandriva, the French company behind the popular line of Linux distributions with the same name, is apparently for sale, according to Mandriva Linux Online (MLO). The firm is said to be in deep financial troubles, which have only worsened this year. The viable options are its being sold or closing down the whole shop.
The post on the French site says that the company made the decision more than a month ago and has been looking at valid suitors since. There are two firms that have made serious bids for Mandriva, or are at least interested in acquiring it. These are London-based LightApp and the French Linagora.
LightApp creates solutions for ‘cheap’ computing by ditching PCs in the traditional sense and replacing them with end devices that connect remotely to servers doing all of the actual computing and running the software. Linagora is a French company that creates open-source software.
Mandriva has provided no word on the matter, though MLO cites an official document. Its financial problems go back a couple of years ago, but it looks like the situation became critical this year. The company is now operating on a very small budget, which is aimed at keeping it running until a sale can be finalized. When and if a sale is completed, the hope is that work on the current line of products will continue to be supported.
Mandriva Linux has been around for more than a decade, having been launched in 2008. It was initially named Mandrake Linux and went through 10 versions. Its name was changed to Mandriva Linux after the firm merged with Brazil-based Conectiva. There are several versions of Mandriva Linux aimed at different markets and needs, from the PC user to the enterprise market. It employs about 80 people.