Manjaro and its community offer different versions based on different combinations of software.
Manjaro change your organizational structure to continue evolving. This Arch Linux based distribution, It started eight years ago as a three-person vocational project. Today it is one of the most popular Linux distributions.
However, with growth, the tasks of publishing each new version are becoming more complex and cannot continue to be handled as before. Some time ago they commented something similar Linux Mint developers
That is why the founders started looking for new alternatives
The way Manjaro changes its structure
The main changes are two:
- All funds obtained by donations will be administered by a non-profit entity who will be in charge of obtaining them and supervising their application.
- Manjaro GmbH & Co. KG is created. This corporation will be in charge of hiring and paying full-time developers and to pay salaries. You will also seek out and exploit new business opportunities.
The objectives sought with these reforms are:
- Achieve developers who commit full time with the project.
- Better interact with other organizations at Linux-related events.
- Ensuring the independence of Manjaro as a community project and at the same time protect the brand.
- They provide faster security updates and a more effective reaction to the needs of users.
- Obtain the means to act as a professional level company.
Relationship with the community
Those responsible for the project seek ensure that Manjaro's mission and objectives remain the same than before: supporting the collaborative development of Manjaro and its widespread use. This effort will continue to be supported through donations and sponsorships that, in no case, will be used by the established company.
To secure the project's existing funds and future donations, the support of two entities is being sought; CommunityBridge and OpenCollective. Team members can then approve the use of donations to fund, for example, project-related expenses. Among them:
- Sponsorship of Manjaro team and community events.
- Financing expenses of local communities.
- Payment of hardware and hosting expenses
- Purchase of tickets to attend events.
- Community Initiatives Grant
The role of the new company
In order to effectively participate in business agreements, form partnerships and offer professional services, a legal structure has been formed: Manjaro GmbH & Co.KG. This organization involves Blue Systems in an advisory role.
About us You can sign contracts and cover obligations and guarantees officially. Things that in the form of a community cannot be assumed or made responsible for them.
One of the main objectives of the reform is improve infrastructure and continually work on distribution essentials and requirements as a professional endeavor. Also increase the number of rented developers
The long-term objective of the firm's business activities is become financially self-sufficient, thus ensuring the viability of the entire project and the community. The company will also own the trademarks for the EU and the US and will act to prevent unauthorized use of Manjaro as a trademark.
The statutes of the company guarantee that the name Manjaro can always be used freely by the community, while preventing damage to the project by illicitly or falsely associating with Manjaro and exploiting its good reputation.
The distribution
Manjaro is a Linux distribution based on Arch Linux. This distribution can be used by both advanced and novice users. One of its characteristics is to offer automated tools that facilitate the installation of the operating system, drivers and programs.
Recently, your community was involved in a controversy over the decision of the developers to replace the open source office suite LibreOffice with the proprietary Softmaker FreeOffice. Faced with the protest, the decision was made that users could choose one of the two during the installation process.