Cheap Bastards

This site seems liek one of the better sites but it needs to be updated more. I've been here a few time and laugh. Publish more reviews and articals. Explain why I must buy Linux when it is for free? People answer they want download for free so they can try it. I say they want to steal it because they are cheap bastard.

Sorry my bad english.

[TRN]

A few things:

(1) Submit news that you'd like to share with others.
(2) Write your own articles and submit them.
(3) Register :D

Now, I disagree with you regarding people being cheap. Many of the people behind Linux are students. They cannot afford to buy each Linux version that is released. It isn't feasible. Since they do much of the coding then it seems logical to get the product into their hands. KDE is a great example of this -- most of the developers are under the age of 27.

But thank you for your opinion.

[Ivan]

I register. Now pleaes answer my question better. Free download is not necessary. It is bad business. No one likes to work for free.

[gabbman]

The answer you are trying to get, can not be given in one word.

A better understanding of marketing, 'free' software, 'giving back', the competition, and many other variables will need to be studied by yourself in order to comprehend the nature of your own question.

[TRN]

Ivan,

Thank you for registering. We welcome your ideas.

There is a very good book by Matt Welsh titled Running Linux. In chapter one, there is a section titled Open Source and the Philosophy of Linux. It is best to quote this so that you can get the true spirit of the words.

Open Source is a term that applies to software for which the source code - the inner workings of the program - is freely available for anyone to download, modify, and redistribute.

The community thrives by each individual having free access to the source code -- and the license to modify and redistribute the code. This is a very powerful model and the basis of Linux.

Granted, there are businesses trying to earn a profit. However, this product (distribution) must fulfil a need or there is no reason for it to exist. Someone who chooses to download a distribution - to kick it's tires - to try it before they buy it - to look under the hood - is not cheap. They are simply being a part of the community. And we all need more members.

With that said, there is a sentiment that people should support their favorite distribution by purchasing it. There are other ways too. For example, there is nothing stopping anyone from donating to their favorite distribution. I suspect others on this site can chime in too with their many ways of helping the community.

[Davepet]

To those that think distros should be available free, since all the "work" has been done by others & is available at no charge:

Just go ahead & download the neccessary source code & build your own (full featured) distro. Why do you need to deal with somebody else's idea of what a disro is, anyway? All the code is free for the taking, after all.

I'm reasonably sure that by the time you are done, you won't want to release it to the world for free.

Dave

[NinerFan]

by the time you are done, you won't want to release it to the world for free.

Why was the original software the distro was based on free in the first place?

All those authors spent considerable time creating xyz program and providing it without fee.

Money is not always the motivating factor.

Maybe the motivation is ideals, prestige, or who knows whatever else. Programmers are a strange bunch ;)

[TRN]

I thought this news story NewsFactor (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1209&e=1&u=/nf/20030515/tc_nf/21520&sid=95573734) story was interesting and might help change some opinions about free downloads.

:D

[muskrat]

Free means a lot more than money, I've bought three distros in 6 months. Bought mind you. Because of the freedom they give me after I got them.

1. I can make copies for my family
2. I can install them on any number of boxes
3. I am free to modify them as I see fit.
(speaking of which I have some questions I'm fixing to post in the Xandros colum about modifing that debian to accept my woody distro as source I could use some help. Please)

As for the point to start this thread. freedown loads incourage people to try some software. after which if it does almost what they want but not quit, and thier not programers. Then who better to hire to modify it for them than the author. That's where free software makes the programers money. It's quality money then!

Because then this company when they need more software they will be back, and they will tell thier friend and coliages. Meanwhile that programmer is authoring more free software to build even more branches of his tree.

Now mind you I'm not a programmer. I'm just a small fish in the repair business. Thats my take on this and my 2 cents worth.