what the diff between linux downloaded version and retail ?

[boyz]

hey guy i would like to know the difference between the downloaded version and the retail. i never used linux before which version do you recommend. thanks

 

[AFB]

Is this for that proxy? Anyway, the retail versions contain a little extra and sometimes a book.

 

[boyz]

yea i am thinking of switching to linux, i heard it really good, i am tired of microsoft.

 

[Nothinman]

The differences are usually very minimal, usually just manuals and support that you don't get if you don't pay for it.

 

[AFB]

Yeah,If your new like me, I would get retail for the support.

 

[Zelmo3]

Originally posted by: amdfanboy
Yeah,If your new like me, I would get retail for the support.

Ooh, not me. I've gotten much better support from places like AnandTech Forums and Google than I have from retail distributors. The manual that some distros come with can be handy if you're new to Linux, but in my experience if you can get the OS installed and connect to the 'net then the rest of the Linux community can help you with anything else you need.

 

[GhettoFob]

I installed Gentoo, they have awesome forums. Pretty much for every problem I encountered, I was able to find a solution there.

 

[uncleX]

The retail usually contains more CDs, and the extra CDs generally have just about any open source linux program you can find on the Internet and the source for them. (If I recall, the SUSE distro I got years ago had 7 CDs, and Red Hat had 5.) But the first CD is the installer, and besides that has about all of the utilities included that an ordinary user is likely to want, and seems to be close to, and probably is identical to, the download version.

The installer of the recent versions of Red Hat and Mandrake is so automatic, there is not a lot to be gained by using the manual during setup. Not that there won't be some mysteries if you have never seen Linux before. I got a big kick out of the way Knoppix boots and installs itself completely from the CD in maybe 2 minutes without needing the HD.

 

[n0cmonkey]

The retail versions typically help the project with various costs it takes to run a project like that.

 

[drag]

Retail version differ from one Distro to another.

Some have very basic version that is around 30 bucks or less and these generally only include the manual and a couple apps that you don't use. Some even have less then that.

If someone had a dial-up account or something were it would take forever to download 3 or more cdrom images then that's what that is for.

Other more expensive ones can come with different incentives. For instance with redhat you can get the pro version that will come with free online tech support for a year, more expensive ones will include more support options, and propriatory applications and serices you can't get otherwise. Then you get server OS that is certified to run things like oracle databases and such. Then also you have access to official redhat upgrades and stuff like that.

Suse has similar setups, then you can also get stuff like winerack that includes propriatory stuff to get better windows app support then you can get thru the normal wine project. You get extra documentation.

Same with mandrake, you get automatic installers for flash and drivers that aren't avaible otherwise. You also have access to new distros first and can participate in online forums.

If you go to the distro's website your interested in you can check out the prices and different features you get.

Obviously 90% of what you get thru paying for it you can get free anyways. I've payed for distros before and it's a nice thing to do anyways. If I ran the network for a business with a good budget for spending I would probably push to get official paid support.

But if you have a decent connection It's always VERY good to test-drive a distro first before buying it instead of ending up with something you paid for and don't like. That way even if you don't like it and go back to Windows you don't end up feeling burned.

 

[Pocatello]

Sometimes I few guilty for not paying for the linux distros I downloaded for free, those people need to feed their families too. It's not likely they can go to a store and grab some grub for free.