Hi all, There is a solution for this, but it's needed a really strong cooperation between all of us, and as us I mean the whole OSS community. Sorry for my not so good English, I hope everything will be clear enough to have a proper and useful discussion. To give you a picture of what I mean, let's take a real example. Apple, do you remember years ago the Apple shops? Even if I never bought there something, every time I was passing in front off their shop windows, I was always stunned, keeping my mouth opened. In their shops there were lights, colors, sounds and a professional atmosphere. On the contrary the first PC shops were gray, looking old... Everybody around was saying Macintosh are the best... Well, what I've in mind is a bit different, in fact Apple was producing hardware, but it's not so far from what we need. When I need a PC or any peripherals, I make several researches for Linux compatibility, then I buy the new hardware and then I spend the needed time to make it working, the loops discussion of this thread... Well, if I would have a shop, virtual or real, that sell just what is certified to work with Linux, that provide me the drivers, support, garanty, and whatever is needed, I wouldn't take care too much about the prize (a bit of course!), I would be happy to buy there my new sparkling PC. I know, who whould risk to open a GNU Linux shop with so few customers? Well, this is the idea, let's make a list of what is needed, step by step: 1. A Certified Hardware List, quite easy, all the distros has one. 2. Let's create products from this list. 3. We need a pseudo company who will collect product requests and buying the hardware for us. 4. That pseudo company will also mange the assemblement and the delivering of the product. 5. The earned money are used to create a brand, and a GNU Linux shop chain. 6. The chain will give a job to several of us, to assemble, to support, to train, to develop... 7. People walking around the shop will see the amazing blue pc in our winodws and will like it!!! 8. People will start to buy our products, and Linux will become more attractive. This sounds irrealistic... It's true, it's more like a vision, let me give you an other example. I was going to build my new PC using barebones and single components, but, at the end, the prize was too much excessive. On the other hand, buying the same components for 1000 units each, the prize decreese a lot, making the PC attractive... Let's reformulate my idea... What about if we start to buy our new PCs all togethere? Let's force the market and let's use part of the revenew to develop this "GNU business" in a OSS way... We demostrated with the software that cooperation is the best way, let's do the same with the business, let's brake a new barrier and start the first Open Source driven company!!! Imagine the future, we can do it! Private companies are not interested, they cannot invest more money, we are not enough to have good business. I'm not thinking about a new Apple, or a new Microsft or whathever, it's a new kind of business, an Open Company to satisfy our needs, this Company must do what we want and how we want. Well, I think and I hope I gave already enough points gto discuss, and that I'm not the only one visionary. If I'm not completely wrong, it would be nice to find the proper place to speak about this... any idea? Any comments and/or doubts? Thanks in advance BR Antenore --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org