Linux-Mandrake is a UNIX (tm) type system, conforming to POSIX standards. It is a genuine pre-emptive multitasking, multi-user operating system. It runs in 32-bit protected mode on Intel x86 compatible platforms, and in 64-bits on other architectures (Sparc, Digital...).
It consists of a central kernel and multiple applications conforming on the whole to the criteria of Free Software (or Open Source13.1) and in the majority of cases the licence named "GPL" (General Public License) of Gnu13.2).
It uses the RPM13.3 specifications of Red Hat for its software packages, and is therefore compatible with the largest Linux distributions.