Why are there retail versions of Linux sold at B&M stores?

[Nocturnal]

What are in these versions that are not in the version that you can easily download through the internet?

 

[thehstrybean]

Most likely nothing. I've seen Redhat in stores...Some people still use dial-up and can't download, too...

 

[P0ldy]

As far as the discs go, nothing. SUSE releases a new OS in stores first, and a couple months after gives downloadable ISOs, AFAIK.

However, you're not paying for the OS, you're paying for support. You can call Red Hat Support, or SUSE, or Mandriva and they'll personally help you out. This is easier and more usual for a business or typical user who doesn't know enough about forums or IRC.

 

[EatSpam]

Because people are willing to pay money for it, basically.

 

[RebateMonger]

They typically come with a printed manual and burned disks.
They MAY come with some kind of intallation support.

 

[sigs3gv]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
What are in these versions that are not in the version that you can easily download through the internet?

You get a nice cardboard box with the distribution's name and logo, a CD pressed witht he distro's logo and name, and some docs.

 

[drag]

Ya..

Basicly good installation material. Extra documentation.

Very often retail versions provide support options that your not going to get otherwise. Also many provide 'extras' in the form of propriatory software.. For instance Codeweaver's Crossover Office so you can use many windows applications in linux. (like photoshop, money apps, Microsoft office, etc etc) or Cedega so you can play Windows games. Stuff like that.

It just depends on the distro and the pricing level of it. Many offer different levels of prices for different features.

 

[n0cmonkey]

The warm fuzzy feeling for giving something back to the people that offer so much for free.

I buy every OpenBSD release. I donate money. I get t-shirts. I get the best OS in existance, for free.

 

[AmigaMan]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
The warm fuzzy feeling for giving something back to the people that offer so much for free.

I buy every OpenBSD release. I donate money. I get t-shirts. I get the best OS in existance, for free.

That's pretty cool man. I never thought about it like that, but you're right. I suppose I should give some money to those Ubuntu folks...

 

[timswim78]

I think that its good that Linux is sold in B&M stores. It gives it a little more exposure and validity to the public's eyes.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: AmigaMan

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
The warm fuzzy feeling for giving something back to the people that offer so much for free.

I buy every OpenBSD release. I donate money. I get t-shirts. I get the best OS in existance, for free.

That's pretty cool man. I never thought about it like that, but you're right. I suppose I should give some money to those Ubuntu folks...

Na, Screw Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is run by a for-profit corporation started by a multi-millionare from South Africa. They are trying to make money off of it by their closed source 'launchpad' service.

Some other high profile items are also well funded. For instance you have Mozilla project. They are now almost filthy rich (for a non-profit) off of their browser. It's that google search bar that is default on every Firefox installation.. Everytime you use that Google pays them for the referal.

So if you want to get money to Mozilla/Firefox people just use the hell out of their google search bar. I like to use it for a spell checker.

Other distros could use the money. For instance slackware is a for-profit distro that is maintained and developed by a single individual. I <3 my slackware hat. Very cool.

Otherwise often the best way to help out money-wise is to donate money to individual application and their developers. If you have a favorite application or have something you depend on for work or whatnot.. especially if it is specialized for one task or another, then it's often very helpfull to give small donations.

Besides money, especially if your time rich and money poor.. it is often very helpfull to projects to help out in some way, even if your not a programmer. Documentation is usually needed quite a bit as well as working out and trying to replicate bugs from bug reports to help the developers themselves save time.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Don't forget OpenSSH. Every major OS out there uses it and ships it (except Windows of course, but they use BSD code elsewhere), and none of them help out. If you have contacts at Sun, IBM, HP, Cisco, Apple, etc. ask them how much money and hardware their company donated to the OpenSSH project. IBM donated a laptop. Once. After over a year of discussion about it.

If individuals like OpenSSH, donate. It's well worth it. :beer:

 

[magomago]

LOL how do you kow that N0cmonkey?

And drag why is ubuntu so evil? Yeah its for profit, but their statement has been that they will never charge for Ubuntu.

and if that is the case, I must have given Mozilla 1/3rd of their income...I never go to google's website. Its the nieat little searchbar in the to right that I use every bloody minute On days I'm researching I'll easily go about 100 searches b/c 1/2 the bloody time pubmed dosn't have a link so the article so I have to sniff it out.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: magomago
LOL how do you kow that N0cmonkey?

Super secret monkey powers.

"Hardware donations do not come from vendors who use OpenSSH on parts of their stuff. They come from individuals. The hardware vendors who use OpenSSH on all of their products have given us a total of one laptop since we developed OpenSSH five years ago. And asking them for that laptop took a year. That was IBM."

-The Age

I'm too bored with this to look for more theo-rants. There are a few.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: magomago
LOL how do you kow that N0cmonkey?

And drag why is ubuntu so evil? Yeah its for profit, but their statement has been that they will never charge for Ubuntu.

It's not evil at all!! It's just that donating money to Ubuntu is like donating money to Redhat. It's a for-profit institution. Ubuntu can take care of themselves. Probably what they'd like more is people to donate time in the forums or on irc or something writing documentation, beta testing (and giving good usefull bug reports) or helping out newbies. Maybe the community portions need money.. I don't know. It's just up to you.

It's just that all distros realy do is repackage software made by other projects. That's the basic purpose of them. Often they would like money, but realise that if you want improvements in your applications or you want to show appreaciation for one paticular application or another it's more appropriate to give to the actual developer of that program. Of course it depends on which program you use, some are well funded and backed by commercial companies (like mysql for instance), while others are not.

Of course if you still realy want to give money to ubuntu, then by all means do so!

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: drag
Of course it depends on which program you use, some are well funded and backed by commercial companies (like mysql for instance), while others are not.

Like OpenSSH.