(with apologies to Mark Twain)

Where Have You Guys Been?

Please pardon our silence. Consider it restraint rather than reluctance. The Foundation is barely 30 days old (that’s right - it was announced 10 August 2005)! It’s been a wild 30 days. We want to thank people for all the press they’ve gotten for us, but there have been a couple of inaccuracies we need to step up and address; it’s time to set the record straight.

Mambo’s Still Mambo

We’ve watched with a mix of caution and concern as some of the members of the old development team declined membership in the Foundation, choosing instead to fork the code set and start a new project on their own terms. It’s living proof that Open Source does mean freedom to choose and it’s a real tribute to the strength of the GPL license that such things can occur.

While we congratulate them on marshalling the resources to pull it all together, at the same time we have asked (repeatedly) that they correct a misconception which seems to have been perpetuated in the media and in blogs. The misconception, that Mambo is gone – replaced by their new project, is completely inaccurate. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mambo is still Mambo. And Mambo is alive and well!

While we’re trying to get names straight, please also note that the Mambo Foundation is a distinct entity. The Mambo Foundation is not to be confused with Miro, the company which originally created Mambo. Mambo Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization established under the laws of Australia and governed by its members -- and membership is open to anyone.

What You Haven’t Heard About

Despite the distractions, the Foundation has moved forward in a variety of ways:

• The launch of the Mambo Love (www.mambolove.com) viral marketing campaign has been well received, with over 600 sites participating at this time, all vying for top rankings. (The Thailand Team is running away with it right now, showing once again the strength that can be realized by a coordinated Mambo user group!)


• The most recent Community Development Survey was completed this week. The survey, which sought opinions from the community on future development features and issues, was aimed primarily at developers. It generated more than 450 responses in 7 days, showing the continued strength in numbers that the Mambo development community has traditionally enjoyed.


• Traffic throughout the Mambo Website Family is at an all time high. Unique visitor numbers, as well as total visits, were at all time highs last month, with this month setting a similar pace. New registrations on our forums are at over 1,000 per week and our first beta release on Mambo with three major functional additions was released within 2 weeks of the foundation announcement.


• The recent departure of some members of the community has been a true mixed blessing. On the positive side, it has allowed for talented individuals to emerge and take active roles that were previously unavailable. New teams have been formed and new members have come forward to assume key roles as moderators, team leaders, and developers, proving once the depth of the talent in the Community – and showing without a doubt that Open Source is bigger than any one group of people.

Mambo – The Next Steps

The next few weeks will bring three important announcements from the Mambo Foundation. The Foundation is currently taking under advisement the feedback we have received from the Community concerning the Foundation structure. The Interim Board will be meeting to discuss filling empty Board seats, strategic partnerships, and possible changes in policy. Announcements on these events will be made in due course.