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SuSE gets Mainstream Sales Distribution
An anonymous reader wrote in to tell us about a new
expanded distribution
for the SuSE distribution- it will now appear in places like
CompUSA, Fry's, Microcenter, Waldenbooks, Borders, and Best
Buy. Always nice to see those shrink wrapped boxes up on the
shelves.
The employees at my local CompUSA were working a few months back to set up a whole GNU/Linux section, with just about everything a Linux user could want from life. Should check up to see if it's up yet.
Anyways, the SuSE thing is probably overall okay news, but we should still remember that SuSE is quite proprietary. Unlike Red Hat, their enhancements and extra utilities (Yast, etc.) are not released as free software and remain proprietary. Inspite of any advantages it may or may not have, I'll stick with fully free distributions like Red Hat and Debian. The thought of a proprietized Linux-based OS really scares me.
It's placed with the garbage software because it has about the same advertising budget as the garbage software. Shelf position is bought, not given.
... even if you know already perfectly well
where it is shelved. If the 100st person comes
and ask the same question, maybe they will wisen
up, and shelv it at a more prominent place.
To say I'd been grappling with Redhat is an understatement - too many issues to list, and I spent most of my time trying to maintain a semi-stable system rather than anything fun.
YAST is a joy to use, the install procedure very easy, SaX is fantastic, it all just *worked*, first time, no tinkering or gotchas! The quality of the documentation is fabulous.
Basically, I've still got a massive grin on my face! 8)
Read my online journal: http://chris.carline.org
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon? :P)
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't.
"...their enhancements and extra utilities (Yast, etc.) are not released as free software and remain proprietary."
Of course, this means that you cannot sell _any_ media that contains the modified version. This means popular outlets that sell cheapo CD's can't produce distribution discs.
This is an example of the classic "non-commerical" clause and thus does not meet the OSD.
If Red Hat had put portions of their installer under a similar license, then we would not have Mandrake Linux, which has graduated from "Redhat + KDE" to become a testbed distribution for developing ease-of-use technologies. And Mandrake Linux has not cut into Red Hat's sales at all.
That's why people bitch about Yast so much. SuSE is a great product otherwise, and could be adapted and customized for use in markets that require specialization. But instead, we are stuck with a paranoid, monolithic company.
Get real, SuSE. People are going to buy your distro because its so well polished in the first place. There's no need to continue to stifle innovation.
Unless, of course, you are afraid that a bunch of people working together over the Internet can produce and market a product that is better than yours using your own technology as a basis. If that is the case, then not only are you grossly missing the point of free software, you are going against the very heart of the community that buys your products.
P.S.- As for the person you hired to work on X, you are to be commended. Still, it makes understanding of the Yast license even more difficult. I guess maybe you support Free Software when it's "convenient".
by Anonymous Coward on 18/05/99 9:35 EDT
... even if you know already perfectly well where it is shelved. If the 100st person comes and ask the same question, maybe they will wisen up, and shelve it at a more prominent place.
Right on, Good call!
Many businesses seem to be managed by zombies, who don't care (much) what customers want, so long as the store generates enough custom to pay their bills. "Conservative" in the pejorative sense, rather than the positive sense. However, even smart / smarter managers don't know what you want unless asked.
In the past couple of years, I have grown increasingly bold about asking / suggesting / requesting products I'd like to see when visiting retail places (not just computer stuff), and it feels good because it puts the shoe on the other foot. Much better than whining that "They don't carry it!" even though I still do that occasionally too.
Same goes for on-line comments for any software house etc. Ask for Linux / other Free OS stuff, indicate your interest in seeing a good selection.
Ask, ask, ask! Since I not a coder, but I like the idea of free / Free software, this seems to be one thing that people like me can do. Join in!
If you make it a point each time you go into a software shop (esp. the giant national chains, where hopefully there is some central accounting) and asking for a specific piece of Linux or other Free OS software that you don't see on the shelf, filling out a request form if one is available, then soon the avalanche of software availability will grow stronger! Maybe also specifically thank the manager if you do find a piece of software you want, mention that you will refer some friends there.
Point is, the mindset that "Nobody uses / buys Free OS software" is circular
Tim
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
First to say, that I am a SuSE user since several Years, because for me it is best.... ... but.... I was very unhappy installing version 6.1! After upgrading from version 6.0 lots of things on my machine do not work anymore: - Apache is not coming up after reboot. - MySQL too - MySQL-Perl modules vanished and I had to reinstall by hand - ISDN is not working anymore, because they forgot to add the masquerading kernel modules If You look at there bugfixsite http://www.suse.de/patches/61_update.html this did not wonder me anymore. Hey guys, SuSE is good, but is it best? Do I have the time and money to download about 10Megs of bugfixes and get a not working internethost after upgrading? I think we all should think about how fast and often an upgrade-version should be issued. I know, the development of free software lives from early publishing software and its code, but if I buy a Linux distribution, my system should stay stable after (down-) up-grading.