Brian Parish wrote: >Hang on Ric - I won't flame you, but I will correct your math. >StarOffice 6 comes IN the boxed set, so let's start by revising the >figures down to $168. Now we can flame accurately ;-) > >Brian > >On Wed, 2002-03-27 at 16:48, Ric Tibbetts wrote: > >>The full title of this: >> >>The little operating system that could, and the little company that >>couldn't. >> >>Meaning of course Linux, and Mandrake. >> >>I'm a newly disgruntled user. Don't mis-read that. I'm not a new user by >>any means. I still have my RedHat 3.x disks on the shelf. I'm just newly >>disgruntled. >> >>Why? >>I'm tired of things that don't work "consistantly". >>I'm tired of hostile "help lists" that love nothing more than to flame >>anyone who dares to have a contradictory opinion. >>I'm tired of the "partially finished" software, and having to argue over >>the value of a much needed function, just because the DOD (Developer of >>the Day) doesn't want to include it. >>I'm tired of seeing an application with possibilities dissapear because >>the developer graduated, and got a job. >> >>But mostly, I'm tired of paying more, and more for it all. And having >>the distributors constantly stick their hand out for more. >> >>It used to be that Linux was openly free. It was meant to be that way. >>But then the companies came in, and saw a way to make money from Linus' >>child, and built distributions. Ok, distributions were a good thing. >>Rolling your own was a bear! >> >>Even those used to be totally free. You were encouraged to download it. >>They still are in a way. But now Mandrake is taking it upon themselves >>to make you feel guilty for that, and even worse, making you a second >>class citizen. >>You can't get the same distributino from download, as you can by buying >>a boxed set. You can't get StarOffice 6.0 without "Belonging to the >>Club". Can't get this, can't get that. BAH! >> >>Seems to me that Linus' little "free" operating system is now costing as >>much as windows, without the benefit of the off the shelf software. >> >>Don't believe me? Add it up. >> >>Average charge per new releass: >>$69.00 per release. x 2 realeases per year. $138.00 >>Shipping: $15.00 per boxed set 30.00 >>"The Club" >>$10 per month x 12 >>(Remember, you need to belong to the >> $10 per month club to get Staroffice 6.0) 120.00 >> --------- >>Cost of Mandrake, per year: $288.00 >> >>Congratulations. For the home user, the cost of ownership of Mandrake >>has exceeded the cost of Win2k. And you can't even go down to the local >>software store and buy a game for it. Or a business accounting package, >>or a decent CD Label Printing Package. or.... >> >>Ok, yep, I'll keep running it, because I like it. I'm just disgruntled. >> >>If you all want to turn on the jets, and flame me for it, fine. I just >>felt the need to share a few points that just fry me from time to time. >>Thanks for listening. >> >>JMHO-YMMV >> >>Ric >> >> >> >> >> >>---- >> > >>Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? >>Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com >> > > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? >Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com > Ummm,
_Either_ the boxed sets _OR_ the club will get you StarOffice and the non-free Apps. You do not need both. It takes about $3-4 million to make one of these distros and keep the security fixes rolling and tested, and we do ..eventually.. finish our tools, though we can make no guarantees about the tools being made by the community. Contrast that with $300 million or more for the "Other" Desktop system, which doesn't even make an effort to provide drivers, leaving that to the hardware people. And AFAIK, we are the distro that has a 3-CD free (as in speech) downloadable, without even Netscape. And that part of the distro is where the effort and expense goes. The commercial apps are developed by others, and a little time is spent integrating them as trialware. Open Office is pretty powerful and in the downloadable and free. Obviously, the expense of making the distro must be met. Consulting and club membership and direct sales are all part of that picture. As it now stands, I do believe SO 6 is going to be available from sun for a fee as well, for both Windows and linux and perhaps other platforms, but the data files will remain somethig human-readable so your data cannot be held hostage in a forever upgrade hell. Anyway, enough said. Your post suggests you do not understand the difference between free (libre) and free(gratuit) at all. Nor do you appreciate that this will all go away very soon if such laws as SSSCA actually pass. Linux, and building home computers, will both be outlawed. Freedom is not free. Pay for it in money or pay for it in the traditional manner, blood, toil, tears, and sweat. And Freedom is what it is about, not overwhelming the worlkd's richest men, just assuring that your computer belongs to _you_. Civileme
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
