Hmm.. when I was a standard member of the club (which used to be called 'bronze') I was able to get the latest release at the same time as silver or gold members, IIRC. THe only diffrerence was that standard members could only download the 4-cd set. I find it hard to believe that's changed otherwise what would be the point of paying for standard membership?

Also what is 'aluminum' membership? Standard used to be called bronze but I can't remember 'aluminium' membership or any other type of metal - is it some kind of '3 months free club membership' you got with a boxed set?

i think he's actually talking about the "Alumni" membership which is available FREE on the site and only Allows you to post in their forums.

So, this guy just didn't read the fine print. i know it says something like "the Alumni service is provided free of charge, so don't expect the same privledges as the value-added services." Or something like that.

That sounds right, explains why there's no 'aluminum' membership - I couldn't see the French Mandriva going for Americansims like 'aluminum'

Al_Khidr you said - did you actually pay for anything? The least expensive membership is standard which is 60 USD or EUR per year. If you didn't pay anything then you can't expect to get the ISOs any sooner than the public.

the iso of mandriva 2006 final is not available yer,
how can we download individual files from the ftp site?
and burn it onto a DVD?

Why do you want to worry about it so much?

Wait for a few days and then try it, if you really want to .

I am very happy with Mandriva LE 2005.
Whatever software you want is downloaded using urmpi's.

So we have all the software...something that the Powerpack editions etc. have on CDs. So what is the big deal?


If my memory serves, you were worried about SuSE.
Now Mandriva? ...Just kidding. ;-)

If you really want 2006, you can do a network install using the boot iso available from the Mandriva ftp mirrors. You can also buy 2006 from cheap Linux retailers.

SUSE is very generous, mandriva is money-orientated.

Yes. But just with the new release.

Without paying any money at all, you can get all the required software, so doesn't matter.

Moreover, Mandriva LE 2005 got less patent issues compared to SuSE, I think.

Also, The Open SuSE version of SuSE is freely available, while others can be purchased.

I don't know for sure, but SuSE is also known to delay the releases to non-paying members.

I wouldn't say Suse is very generous. This is the first time they have released official isos of their entire distro, before that they used to just provide a ftp install and most people got the Suse installation media from people who had created their own isos and put them out as torrents.

Mandriva used to release their isos early but a few years ago they almost went bust because most people were downloading the distro for free without giving something back so they created the Mandriva Club which is a way of getting money to pay developers. In a few weeks time, the free isos will be up, so I don't see a problem at all.

True!

Mandriva is also known to have less patent problems.

I think no comparison can be made with Mandriva and SuSE. Both are excellent distros.

PS: I have always been with Mandriva / Mandrake.

When a the one year Mandriva Club membership period is over, if a member does not renew by paying another year's fees or arranging to pay 12 monthly fees, the membership goes to the aluminum level, with no privleges except to post on the club forums. Anyone wanting to retain club privleges at a higher level needs to sign up for another year.

http://61.132.102.124/Mandriva/

very fast,but only allow one thread download,try

http://61.132.102.124/Mandriva/

very fast,but only allow one thread download,try

very slow download speed

I think that's alumni isn't it? Aluminum doesn't exist in Europe, its aluminium.