Hello,
Im about to try mandriva so I decided to download the DVD, but the things make me confused. The free download is available in mandriva's ftp. As usual, im using torrent and founding the MANDRIVA LE 2005 POWERPACK DVD isos.

Is it legal to download(and install and use) the POWERPACK iso while the mandriva's site itself dont put it on free download?

Is it POWERPACK version means that we CANT redistribute it freely?

I've been asking this question on mandriva's site but still dont getting any answer(or maybe Im askin it on wrong division of mandriva's site, i dont know) Thought this forum might help,

thx.

Never seen a LE2005 powerpack mentioned before. possibly it is refering to the 6CD set that silver members and above of the Mandriva Club are entitled to download. I believe that you would be infringing the license if you were to redistribute a powerpack/non-free download version as they contain 3rd party device drivers released under a different license!

AFAIK I know you can't download the powerpack editions for free, you either have to buy the boxed set or become a member of the Mandriva Club and download it from there.

Anyway you can easily get all the software that's in the powerpacks (except for closed-source commercial packages like Nvidia drivers, Java J2RE etc.) by downloading the free version from their website then going to http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/ and configuring access to all the repositories.

I dont know what the commercial packages really means since nvidia drivers are made by nvidia and dedicated as support for their hardware owner.
Sunjava are free(lunch)ware too.

I mean that this powerpack dont really consist a real commercial-pay-to-get software e.g staroffice or crossoveroffice. If that what commercial really means.

In conclusion, because we can get them freely from other source, the softwares(except the commercial/closed source packages) themselves are free(lunch)ware but the fee that are paid to mandriva for this powerpack is because they collect and make em packed in this powerpack edition, isnt it?

Sorry if I wasn't clear - I meant closed-source applications. Mandriva will package up many of the commonly used closed-source applications that are free (as in free beer or free lunch) and only put those packages in the powerpack versions. They do this to add value to the powerpacks because it makes it a lot easier and simpler to get all this stuff when its packaged in RPMs for your distro, and especially because it can install nvidia, java, acrobat reader etc. by default on the install.

Anyway if you download the free version all you have to do is go to the websites for these closed-source packages and download and install them, like you'd have to if you were running Windows.

No they sometimes include trial versions for pay-to-get software like this but AFAIK they've never included the full version of anything you'd have to pay for.

In conclusion you can download the free version from their website, install it and then setup your access to the repositories (at http://easyurpmi.zarb.org) and get all the open source software that comes with the powerpack version, plus a bit more. You will then have to download closed-source things like Nvidia Java, Flash, Adobe Reader etc. from their respective web sites and install them if you want them.

Oh ok, thx 4 the conclusion things, clear enough for knowing Mandriva not doing what Redmond guys did, u know license and all.
And thx for the link, btw I prefer free lunch cos I dont drink(beer), lol.