“We may witness the collapse of a “Linux Company” – Corel – any
day now. It is unfortunate that the FUDsters are going to make
hay with this as proof of the insolvency of the “Linux-oriented”
business plan. It’s bound to happen, and it’s dead wrong. Linux is
not what’s wrong with Corel.”
“While it is true that they have a good Linux distribution and a
very nice office suite that works with Linux, they are not a Linux
company. Not the way Red Hat or TurboLinux are. Selling Linux for a
living is rough business, and everyone seems to be finding out that
the traditional models won’t work for the long haul. I honestly
don’t know if there IS a business model in existence right now that
ensures success with Linux on a grand scale. If there is, I don’t
think Corel is going to find it. I don’t think they have enough
time left.”
“Don’t get me wrong; I think their distribution is just fine,
but they have made a couple of mistakes that might have cost them a
lot of momentum in becoming a successful Linux company. It’s bad
business to get the license wrong while claiming allegiance to the
Open Source Community when you set up shop to sell a Linux
distribution, or expect to get bailed out immediately upon arrival
in Linux land (after around a decade of suspect business decisions)
by selling free software. Ya gotta know who your audience is. Ya
gotta know your limitations, too. According to a lot of Linux
users, ya gotta pay some dues, too.”