“Macmillan USA and MandrakeSoft today announced a strategic,
long-term agreement whereby Macmillan will be the exclusive
retail distributor of the English version of the Linux-Mandrake
operating system in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada,
India, South Africa, Scandinavia (Finland, Norway, Sweden),
Australia and Indonesia.”
“Macmillan began distributing MandrakeSoft’s version of Linux in
June 1999. According to figures supplied by PC Data (http://www.pcdata.com), together
Macmillan and MandrakeSoft have enjoyed steady leadership in the
retail Linux market. Since 1999, they have maintained an average of
30% unit share in retail stores, at one point capturing an overall
52% unit share. “There is no question, Macmillan’s leadership in
retail distribution is obvious,” said Daniel Morales,
MandrakeSoft’s Vice President, US Operations. “Their presence in
retail outlets offered MandrakeSoft a powerful way to increase
Linux-Mandrake market share.”
“Our decision to partner with Macmillan was strategic.
Macmillan’s strong marketing team provides the key elements needed
for MandrakeSoft to maintain its leadership position in the
fast-changing world of Linux,” said Morales. “We are very excited
about our long-term partnership agreement.”