Timothy R.Butler writes:
Hi Martin,
I think you need a better understanding of Linux, Open Source, and how the distributions (SuSE included) made it all possible. Read "Rebel Code" by Glyn Moody before you start your ranting again.
One thing that did attract me to SuSE was the support they had for their prior releases. I still have 6.4 running at home and it is completely up-to-date. I do have 7.2 on a couple of machines. So it is not necessary to update everytime SuSE releases a new version. Pick one and be happy. Redhat provided an upgrade to rpm v4.0 in their version 6.2 pretty much invalidating any packages created with rpm 3.?. In software development this is a big no-no. Redhat never offered official XFree 4.0 upgrades for 6.2, no new KDE upgrades, so your only choice with them is create your own packages or upgrade. I love the fact that SuSE does this. It is my main reason for keeping them. Price does persuade me, but SuSE does produce quality. Just don't upgrade so often. I think if SuSE were to ever consider another alternative to the Professional/Standard, I would be in favor of a custom CD. From a webpage you create your own SuSE distribution, pay for it, and then either download it as an ISO, or have a CD created and shipped to you. You may pay more/less depending on what you get. This thread can now officially end.
Not to be argumentative, but I would say I have at least an average understanding of open source and Linux "made it all possible" as you put it (I've been in the Linux community for over three years, and the SuSE community for over two years). My argument, as I try to emphasize is not that SuSE doesn't provide a WONDERFUL product for $60-$70, it is that the upgrade does not really include much incentive for choosing it over the Professional version. Infact, I bet if i buy SuSE Upgrade, my savings between the two versions is probably substantually less than SuSE's savings (by not including a library worth of books). My other argument, about ISO's, is not that if SuSE truly couldn't make money when offering ISO's that they still should. It is that every single other major Linux distro company (including RedHat, which has proved it can and will be profitable) can seem to afford to have ISO's so why can't SuSE? The thing is, let's say that one in every thirty people download the ISO rather than buying SuSE. That's a big loss, that's true, but those download users are probably some of the most knowledgable - or at least very knowledgable - Linux users out there (a new Linux user probably would want support). That means that maybe SuSE didn't sell them a box, but they will come on this list, help a newbie, and lower the SuSE's support costs. And going around to box prices, if support is the most costly part of their offering, perhaps these download users would actually *make* money for SuSE. :-)
-Tim
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