1. About Mandriva Linux

Mandriva Linux is a GNU/Linux distribution supported by Mandriva S.A., which was born on the Internet in 1998. Its main goal was and still is to provide an easy-to-use and friendly GNU/Linux system. Mandriva's two pillars are open source and collaborative work.

[Note] Note

In April 2005, the Mandrakesoft company changed its name to Mandriva to reflect its merger with Brazil-based Connectiva. Its core product, Mandrakelinux, became Mandriva Linux.

1.1. Contacting the Mandriva Linux Community

The following are various web links pointing you to the most important Mandriva Linux-related sources. If you want to know more about the Mandriva company, connect to our web site. You can also check out the Mandriva Linux distribution web site and all of its derivatives.

Mandriva Expert is Mandriva's support platform. It offers a new experience based on trust and the pleasure of rewarding others for their contributions.

We also invite you to subscribe to the various mailing lists where the Mandriva Linux community demonstrates its high spirits and keen debates.

Please also remember to connect to our security page. It gathers all security-related material about Mandriva Linux distributions. You will find security and bug advisories, as well as kernel update procedures, the different security-oriented mailing lists which you can join, etc. This page is a must for any server administrator or user concerned about security.

1.2. Join the Club!

Mandriva Club is the place where users meet to help each other out, exchange valuable information about Mandriva Linux, and get informed of the latest Mandriva, Linux and Open Source news. Club subscribers have privileged access to an even wider array of services.

With your Mandriva ID, you have free access to:

  • help (forums, chat, Knowledge Base with tutorials, how-tos, tips and tricks);

  • news;

  • more Mandriva- and community-contributed content.

As a Club member, you have exclusive access to:

  • 50,000 software packages, including commercial software, drivers, and demos;

  • super-fast download servers;

  • official Mandriva Linux documentation;

  • access to expert and eTraining online;

  • permanent special discounts at Mandriva Store;

  • ... and much more!

Mandriva Club is where you get the best Mandriva Linux experience, learning from others, teaching others, accessing exclusive features and contributing to the development of Mandriva Linux and Free and Open Source Software in general.

1.3. Purchasing Mandriva Products

Mandriva Linux users may purchase products on-line through the Mandriva Store. You will not only find Mandriva Linux software, operating systems and “live” boot CDs, such as Live, but also special subscription offers, support, third-party software and licenses, documentation, GNU/Linux-related books, as well as other Mandriva goodies.

We couldn't close this section without mentioning the latest innovation from Mandriva. Mandriva Flash is a pre-installed Mandriva Linux distribution on a simple 2GB USB 2.0 key. You only need to plug the key in to start your Linux system anywhere, and save and exchange your data on the free 1GB space.

1.4. Contributing to Mandriva Linux

The skills of the many-talented folks who use Mandriva Linux can be very useful in the making of the Mandriva Linux system:

  • Packaging. A GNU/Linux system is mainly made of programs found on the Internet. These need to be packaged in order to work together.

  • Programming. There are many projects directly supported by Mandriva: find the one that most appeals to you and offer your help to the main developer(s).

  • Internationalization. You can help us translate web pages, programs and their respective documentation.

Consult the development projects page to learn more about how you can contribute to the evolution of Mandriva Linux.