MandrakeSoft, the French GNU/Linux distributor who filed for bankruptcy protection one year ago last week, announced today that its first fiscal quarter of 2004 resulted in a positive operating result of €280,000. This follows news in recent weeks that the company is preparing an exit plan to leave bankruptcy protection by the end of the quarter.
The MandrakeSoft profit marks the first time in five years that the popular GNU/Linux distributor has earned a profit. In the fiscal year of 1999, the company reported a profit of €55,000, only to plunge into severe losses the next year when an allegedly better executive team took over from the company's founders. Since then, the company has brought back its founders, returned its attention to the Mandrake Linux distribution (from failed e-learning initiatives), and built up its enterprise software lineup.
The announcement did remain cautious about its optimism. “Because of the semi-annual product release cycle, historically, the company reports stronger results in the first and third quarters as compared to the second and forth quarters.” As a result, Mandrake said it might report a loss again next quarter.
In other news, Mandrake Linux 10.0 Beta 1 was released today, placing it on track for a gold release late this quarter. You can download the release here.