Mandriva for sale?

According to a French language post on the Mandriva Linux Online fan site, Mandriva, formerly known as MandrakeSoft, is for sale and is currently seeking a buyer. French firm Mandriva, founded in July of 1998, is best known for it's popular Linux distribution.

It's reported that one of the companies interested in purchasing Mandriva is UK-based lightapp, a software-as-a-service provider. The fan portal says that it has also confirmed that French open source software and service provider LINAGORA is currently in discussion to acquire Mandriva's assets. While negotiations are apparently ongoing, all further details are being withheld.

Neither confirming or denying the rumours, a Mandriva spokesperson told The H that, "Mandriva, from its very beginning, has been involved in takeover talks," adding that, "Mandriva has also been in talks over merger possibilities or an eventual buy-out by investors. These negotiations have been pursued throughout the life of the company and continue." Mandriva noted that during the economic slow-down it has take the opportunity to develop and improve products such as MES5.1, Pulse2 and Mandriva Smart Desktop.

See also:

• Mandriva Linux 2010 Spring Beta 2 arrives, a report from The H.
• Health Check: Mandriva, a feature from The H.
• Mandriva Linux 2010.0 arrives, a report from The H.

(crve)