Red Hat Network for the Masses

Outland Traveller writes: "A few months ago I sent some feedback to RedHat concerning their then $30/month RHN subscription service. I asked them to consider offering a $5/month low end version more suitable for home users with multiple computers. I'm sure that a plenty of other people offered the same suggestion, but I was still surprised when I opened my email this morning and found that the exact service I asked for is not only being offered, but that fast access to iso images has been added as well, among other improvements. I guess I now have to put my money where my mouth is :) Seriously though, this should be good news for people who download RedHat's .iso images but want to financially support RedHat in a way that makes sense."

Comments

Re:I'd prefer to paypal them.

[ShaunC]

Looking at the big picture, I think I'd rather have the option to pay $5/month than pay $30/month.

After using Redhat linux for a couple of years, I decided to buy the upgrade to 7.0 last summer instead of just downloading it. For one thing it was simpler to get the CDs in the mail than to figure out what to download and roll my own. I also felt good supporting a company that's treated me well (RHAT +150.00 in two weeks...) in the past. But I never did activate my support, because it was only good for X number of days and after that I'd have to pay almost as much monthly as I'd paid for the bundle. I decided to save my code until I absolutely needed the support.

I'd feel more comfortable activating my support today, knowing that I'd only have to pay $5/month upkeep for a bit less service, than I'd have felt activating the support when I got the 7.0 CDs. I've always been in favor of choices, end-user empowerment, the idea that the person using software should be able to make the decisions. In that light I think Redhat has made a good move here. The more expensive option is still available to those who can afford it and would like the "VIP" treatment, but the cheaper option probably appeals to more people.

Remember that Redhat is a corporation, and needs to make money. I'm willing to bet that there are at least six times as many people willing to pay $5/month as there are people who are willing to pay $30/month. Offering the lower grade of RH Network will likely be a profitable decision as well as one that pleases consumers. Maybe I'll buy stock again ;)

Of course, I still ain't subscribing to the support unless I really need it! But when that day comes I'll be much happier that there's a less expensive option.

Shaun

Re:$5 is better than nothing

[mjh]

This company really ought to think their strategy. The distro market is pretty competitive right now, and 59.95 is a hell of a lot of money to spend on a free OS.

I don't think that selling boxed copies in stores is Red Hat's primary motivation. I think their going after the enterprise. That's why they want to sell subscriptions at $30/mo/machine. You buy, or download, one copy of RH and install it on as many machines as you want. But if you want enterprise level support to keep those machines "up2date" then you can pay the monthly fee.

If you're big enough, you can buy the soon to be released "Red Hat Network in a Box" where you can run you're own completely autonomous Red Hat Network w/in your own corporation. (Info from a Red Hat guy who recently visited our LUG.)

Box sales in stores is likely to always be part of their market. But IMHO, it's not their primary target.

Open Source != Anti-MS

[Dan-DAFC]

Open source is not about being anti-Microsoft (OK, for some people it is). I have no love of Microsoft but Open Source is more than that, it's a whole new way of doing things. I expect to see Microsoft and Open Source co-existing for quite some time yet. They are not direct competitors.

Re:WHY PAY ?

[mjh]

1.Stick "security.debian.org" in your sources file

2. apt-get update

3. apt-get upgrade

Done

What's the problem?

350 machines. Need to track the package status of 350 machines. How exactly, are you going to tell me the status of 350 machines using that technique without going to each of the individual machines? Right now, you either:

1. login 350 times
   
2. write an ad hoc script, taking care to make sure it's secure and scalable
   
3. wait until a debian developer writes a different ad hoc script or program and puts it into the debian tree
   

The point is that the red hat network (allegedly) manages large numbers of machines better than debian. Of course, this is untested by me, right now. But it's an attractive feature.

Two final issues with RHN

[flacco]

I would be all over this if:

1) RHN would NOT store my machine configuration on their servers. I see no reason this can't be stored on my machine.

2) Red Hat would coordinate with Ximian so that their releases coincide. Let's say $9/mo for Red Carpet and RHN combined. This would cover all system and basic desktop updates; both RH and Ximian might want to keep a level or two of premium service beyond this basic service.

Maybe even offer different desktop subscriptions, so that $9 might get you RH+GNOME, or RH+KDE.