Manjaro changes its structure to respond to the challenge of its popularity

Manjaro and its community offer different versions based on different software combinations.

Manjaro change your organizational structure To keep evolving. This distribution based on Arch Linux, It began eight years ago as a three-person vocational project. Today it is one of the most popular Linux distributions.

However, with the growth, the tasks of publishing each new version is becoming more complex and cannot be managed as before. Some time ago the Linux Mint developers commented on something similar

That is why the founders began to look for new alternatives

The way Manjaro changes its structure

The main changes are two:

• All funds obtained by donations will be managed by a non-profit entity who will be in charge of obtaining them and supervising their application.
• The company Manjaro GmbH & Co. KG is created. This corporation will be responsible for hiring and paying full-time developers and to pay salaries. It will also seek and exploit new business opportunities.

The objectives sought with these reforms are:

• Get developers who commit full time with the project
• Interact better with other organizations in events related to Linux.
• Ensure 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 the users.
• Get the means to act As a professional level company.

Relationship with the community

Project managers seek ensure that Manjaro's mission and objectives remain the same than before: support the collaborative development of Manjaro and its widespread use. This effort will continue to be supported through donations and sponsorships that, under no circumstances, will be used by the established company.

To secure existing project funds and future donations, support from two entities is being sought; CommunityBridge and OpenCollective. Team members may then approve the use of donations to finance, for example, expenses related to the project. Among them:

• Sponsorship of events of the Manjaro team and the community.
• Financing of expenses of local communities.
• Payment of hardware and hosting expenses
• Purchase tickets to attend events.
• Grant to community initiatives

The role of the new company

In order to participate effectively in trade agreements, form partnerships and offer professional services, a legal structure has been formed: Manjaro GmbH & Co.KG. This organization has the participation of Blue Systems in an advisory function.

The company may 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 work continuously on the essentials and requirements of the distribution as a professional effort. Also increase the number of developers rented

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 registered trademarks for the EU and the US. and will act to prevent the unauthorized use of Manjaro as a trademark.

The company bylaws guarantee that The name Manjaro can always be freely used by the community, while preventing damage to the project by associating illegally or falsely 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 features is to offer automated tools that facilitate the installation of the operating system, drivers and programs.

Recently, their community was involved in a controversy over the developers' decision to replace the LibreOffice open source office suite with the proprietary Softmaker FreeOffice. Before the protest, the decision was made that users could opt for one of the two during the installation process.

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