Ximian Adds Subscription

GeneJock writes "Apparently the days of free fast updates from Ximian are gone. The latest update to the Ximian suite replaces the old Red Carpet Manager with a newer version which includes access to a subscription service. This subscription service costs $9.95 a month ($7.95 for the first two months if you signup now). You can still get the updates for free but its slow going... looks like I'll be getting my updates overnight. Read all about it here." Can't fault a company for trying to make some money - hope it works. Update: 12/19 16:48 GMT by T : Please note: Ximian isn't cutting back on the free downloads, either -- in fact, just the opposite. Read below for some more information about this, including a link (yup) to a standalone static binary of Red Carpet, so you don't even need to use Ximian Gnome.

Nat Friedman of Ximian points out that the introduction of the subscription service doesn't mean a reduction in the availability of free downloads, from Ximian and the 40 associated mirror sites. "We've actually grown the pipe by 500% over the past 4 to 6 months," he says. "We also have a mirror coordinator." He cites ever-increasing numbers of Red Carpet sessions as the reason for introducing a subscription; November alone saw three quarters of a million sessions.

That number seems likely to increase, in part because of Ximian partnerships with companies like HP, now shipping a preview release of Ximian Gnome on HP-UX, but also because the Red Carpet software update system no longer requires Ximan Gnome; Friedman passed along this link to distribution-specific static binaries which work with other distributions as well.

Despite new servers and more bandwidth, Friedman asserts that some users downloading software for free will inevitably hit servers at times "when they're getting 8k downloads and they'd rather be getting 50k, and that's really who the subscription is for."

Comments

Value added or just paying for bandwidth?

[beamz]

I know everyone has to pay for their expenses but what's the deal? The only value added that you get is "bandwidth".

How can consumers be sure they're not just throttling what they used to give away for free and that what they're charging is fair?

If you compare this to Salon charging for content, Salon actually provides content that is above and beyond their standard content. This goes back to the whole discussion of, "How can you take what's free away and try to sell it?"

I don't see the value in providing bandwidth except to larger corporations who do massive amounts of updates but again, how far as Linux and Ximian penetrated corporations as a desktop?

I hate to say it

[cca93014]

But that's 9.95 per month more than Microsoft...

Come on, give it a year and you'll have half a license for XP or something.

RHN is fast and free...

Won't work

[Syberghost]

I have no problem with them trying to find ways to make money, but this one isn't going to work.

Let's say you're using RedHat. It'll be a similar story with other distributions, but that's the one with which I'm most familiar.

With Ximian, you get GNOME slightly ahead of what RedHat has, major hassles with upgrading RedHat to a new version, and you pay for updates.

With Redhat and no Ximian, you get GNOME slightly behind the curve, easy upgrades to new versions, and updates are free but not quite as easy to use as Ximian.

So basically, I'm supposed to pay a monthly fee so that I can have GNOME be the most recent build, instead of a couple months old? Please; if I'm in a position where that's really important, I'm someone who can fix it myself.

I don't think that many people are going to find value in this particular service.

Oh; and I should add, I hope I'm wrong. I wish no ill-will to Ximian, and I'd love to be wrong about this.

This came up Monday and the verdict was...

[somethingwicked]

Can't fault a company for trying to make some money - hope it works.

Actually, this parallels the story on Monday "VPN Clients Not Allowed On Residential Service"

EXCEPT then it was unacceptable for a cable company to charge extra for a business account

Again, my criticism then was not of people dailing in from home to remote a server, my criticism was of people saying

"YEAH, I use it all day long telecommuting for business but I don't want to be charged a business rate. My business can't afford THAT! They have no right to differentiate me based on my use or time of use"

Now Ximian differentiates their service levels and /. wishes them luck

*ironic wistle as I walk away shaking head*

You can't blame them unless its Microsoft

[thecrusher]

You guys are all such hypocrits.

Functionally on par?

[x mani x]

Calling Microsoft Windows "functionally on par" to Linux is like calling a shiny new battleship functionally on par to a piss-stained, shit-smeared canoe :)

Re:Functionally on par?

[laserjet]

...Yes, at times Windows does seem like a piss-stained, shit-smeared canoe. Exactly.

Re:So long, Ximian.....Nice knowing ya.

[Bowie J. Poag]

You can form a line to the left with the other pump-action retards and kiss my ass if you don't like what I have to say. Nobody's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to read my posts, so PLEASE shut up. Please?

Merry Christmas,