AXA Backs Mandrake and Linux

AXA Placement Innovation, the investment fund of AXA, has added fuel to the open-source operating system (OS) movement by completing an equity investment in Linux vendor MandrakeSoft.

“We believe that MandrakeSoft is poised to be a dominant player in the emerging but potentially huge Linux market,” commented Peter Bieliczky of the AXA Investment Managers Group. “MandrakeSoft has evolved very quickly since its inception a few months ago and we are strong believers in the Linux-Mandrake strategy and team.” AXA Placement Innovation specializes in backing up-and-coming high tech firms.

“This investment (represents) a recognition of our strategy by a world class investor,” stated Jacques Le Marois, president of MandrakeSoft. “We now have the fuel to finance even more open-source projects and consolidate our position as one of the major Linux distribution players.”

Commenting on “the post-IPO Red Hat period,” Francis Gaskins of Ziff Davis Inter@ctive noted that there are some “30 of Red Hat’s competitors that should be of considerable interest to both investors and technologists.” With a host of accolades pouring in, MandrakeSoft appears to be working its way to the top of the list.

Product of the Year

MandrakeSoft’s Complete Linux Operating System 6.0, distributed by Macmillan Publishing USA, was recently named product of the year by LinuxWorld. Both the Linux-Mandrake Secure Server and Deluxe editions contain the Mandrake-enhanced versions of Red Hat Linux 6.0.

The Complete Linux product by MandrakeSoft “does an excellent job of smoothing out some of the rough edges of the Red Hat 6.0 distribution,” commented the editors of LinuxWorld. “What you end up with is a better Red Hat 6.0 than Red Hat 6.0 itself.”

“We are very proud to offer this tremendous product,” commented Doug Bennett, president of Macmillan. “We add value by combining the Linux-Mandrake 6.0 release with the thorough documentation and support resources that only our authors — some of the world’s foremost authorities on Linux — can offer.”

Macmillan’s distribution of the Mandrake Linux package bundles special versions of PartitionMagic and BootMagic, so that users can install Linux alongside Windows. It also features a Windows-like graphical interface. The Secure Server Edition, designed as a cost-efficient and powerful e-commerce solution, features an Apache Web server and RSA advanced cryptography.

Macmillan USA publishes computer-related book titles and is ranked as the third largest publisher of operating systems. The company recently reached an agreement with Linuxcare Labs to provide technical review and certification of its Sams and Que Linux book series.