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Domain: linuxmall.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to linuxmall.com.

Comments · 54

  1. The software is FREE and Legal to copy. by Hanzie · · Score: 1 · on The Internet Operating System Counter for 4/99
    And believe me - here people don't cough up 50 bucks for software every day (Red Hat 5.2). Most of them haven't bought any software even if they use a computer from like 10 or 15 years


    You don't have to pay US$50 for each copy of Red Hat. You can:

    1. Download it for free.
    2. Copy it and pass it to friends.
    3. Buy it from Linuxmall for US$1.89/copy (+ shippping)
    http://www.linuxmall.com/

    Please be aware that there is no reason at all not to copy and give away the RedHat Linux you have.

    The GPL permits it, and if you were to start burning RedHat CD's and passing them to friends in Bulgaria, Red Hat's president, Bob Young, would actually be happy about it. This is exactly what Linuxmall.com is doing. The US$1.89 covers the cost of the blank CD and the burning.

    Red Hat's business model is to make money from support and brand-name marketing. Why US$50 for an official Red Hat CD/Book?

    1. Some support is included
    2. Many people would rather pay for a CD/Manual prepackaged than download it.
    3. Large businesses don't trust software they don't pay for.

    The department manager where I work actually said "We won't use free software because we can't sue anybody if it breaks." (Yeah, like we sue M$ everytime NT crashes halt the production lines...")

    Also, the corporate world doesn't trust anything they don't have to pay for, so Red Hat will happily charge for what they also give away free.
    Remember, Red Hat didn't write Linux. They collected the peices and put them together. If you want to start your own business burning and selling Red Hat 5.2 CD's in Bulgaria for $15 each, Red Hat won't try to stop you. (Just remember your first customer could do the same thing...)

    Heck, if you promise to sell/give away a few hundred copies, they'll probably send you a free one to get started. They would see you as an unpaid volunteer, rather than competetion.

    I just read Bob Young's chapter of Open Sources a few hours ago. Bob (president of Red Hat) talks about areas of the world that can't afford to buy software. It's a competetive advantage, because with a free product, he gets extreme market penetration as people pass copies around.

    As your business grow and need software support contracts, Red Hat will be there to supply them. The US$50 is only for a single user for a month or two. Rumor has it the big corporate support contracts run up to US$60,000 per year.

    Since Linux doesn't break, after the setup, it's lots of support/service contract money for no work.

    That's why Red Hat want's everybody using Red Hat.

    So don't worry about the copying. It's legal.

    Good luck!
  2. Of course! by UncleRoger · · Score: 1 · on Red Hat 6.0

    I just ordered the cheapy set of various distribs CD's from Linux Mall so I could play with (among others) Red Hat.

    I guess I'll have to order the $1.89 Red Hat 6.0 once it comes out.

  3. Here ya go... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on FreeBSD 3.1 Released

    You'll have to wait a bit for them to be burned, but you can get them at

    cheapbytes.com
    and
    linuxmall.com

  4. Which means the software. by Static · · Score: 1 · on Toshiba and EULA
    There was a discussion over this somewhere else on the web. I'll see if I can find it. Basically, the EULA defines "Software Product" to mean just the software. Once that is defined, the EULA is solely about licensing the "Software Product". Besides, unless you didn't purchase the hardware, you don't need a license agreement to use it (a warranty is a separate issue).

    I couldn't find the discussion, but you can read the EULA itself, if you like. The definition and the refund information is in the first paragraph.