A press release from Mandrakesoft:

It's been in the air for a few weeks...

After spending weeks balancing pros and cons, Mandrakesoft has decided to change its name!

The name change will apply worldwide to both the company and its products. The management team sees two good reasons for this change:

1. The recent Mandrakesoft - Conectiva merger calls for a new identity that better represents the combination of two key companies and their global presence.

2. The long-winding trademark lawsuit with Hearst Corporation has reached a point where we decided it is more reasonable for us to move forward. By adopting a new name, we eliminate the liability attached to the Mandrakesoft name and we can focus on what is important to us: developing and delivering great technology and solutions to both our customers and our user community.

We will endeavor to build even stronger brand recognition in our new name. So what is the new name?

The winner is ...

M A N D R I V A

Why Mandriva? This new name, simple and efficient, is the synthesis of Mandrakesoft and Conectiva. This will further a smooth transition and will build on our existing brand recognition in the IT world.

* Company Products

Mandriva is the new name for the company. Mandriva Linux is the new name covering products.

Additional derivations follow directly: Mandriva Club, Mandriva Store, Mandriva Expert and so on.

* Websites

Our web addresses become accordingly:

http://www.mandriva.com for the corporation
http://www.mandrivalinux.com for the community project
http://www.mandrivastore.com for the online Store
http://www.mandrivaclub.com for the Club
http://www.mandrivaexpert.com for the web-based support platform

We encourage everyone - users, partners, and the media - to start using the new name as soon as possible. In particular, Mandriva users are encouraged to update their bookmarks ASAP! New Mandriva logos are now available on our website at: http://www.mandriva.com/company/press

The Mandriva Management Team


About Mandriva

Mandriva, formerly known as Mandrakesoft, is the publisher of the popular Mandriva Linux operating system, one of the most full-featured and easy to use Linux systems available. The company offers its enterprise, government educational customers a complete range of GNU/Linux and Open Source software and related services. Mandriva products are available in more than 120 countries through dedicated channels and also from Mandrivastore.com, the company's online store. Number 1 in several countries, Mandriva has won many awards for quality and technical innovation. "Born on the Internet" in late 1998, Mandriva has offices in the United States and France. Mandriva is traded on Paris Euronext Marché Libre (ISIN Code: FR0004159382/MLMAN; Reuters code: MAKE.PA) and the US OTC market (stock symbol MDKFF).

http://www.mandriva.com