

Best Buy Is Selling Ubuntu - mace
http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/08/07/09/026208.shtml

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icey
I don't understand why the tech media is making such a big deal out of this.
The FSF clearly allows for this in their licensing. They could charge $100 or
$1,000 for this if they felt like it, as long as they are not attempting to
close its source.

~~~
etal
The reaction should be positive, if anything. Linux distros have been for sale
on computer-store shelves for years; OpenOffice.org shows up sometimes, too.
Installfests sometimes ask for a few bucks for the disks if you want to keep
them.

I believe the GPL requires a "reasonable" price, though, corresponding to
shipping/handling/media/convenience. So $50-$100 is justifiable, but $1000+
less so. A court challenge to someone hawking $5,000 Debian licenses to BigCo
would probably still be tricky, though, since it's easy to claim the extra
cost is for installation support, expertise, etc.

Judging by past FSF lawsuits, it seems to be easiest to tag a reseller for
failing to include a GPL notice or instructions for getting the source code.

~~~
LogicHoleFlaw
My understanding of the GPL is that you can sell the software for any price
you wish. However, if you do not include the source code with the product, you
must distribute that _source code_ at a reasonable price to all askers.

~~~
etal
Yes, you're right:

    
    
        Does the GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money?
    
        Yes, the GPL allows everyone to do this. The right to sell copies is part
        of the definition of free software. Except in one special situation, there
        is no limit on what price you can charge. (The one exception is the
        required written offer to provide source code that must accompany
        binary-only release.) 
    
        Does the GPL allow me to charge a fee for downloading the program from my
        site?
    
        Yes. You can charge any fee you wish for distributing a copy of the
        program. If you distribute binaries by download, you must provide
        "equivalent access" to download the source -- therefore, the fee to download
        source may not be greater than the fee to download the binary. 
    

(Source: [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-
faq.html#DoesTheGPLAllowMone...](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-
faq.html#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney))

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babul
Sometimes when people "pay" for something, they value it more or perceive it
to be better. If this aids *nix uptake, I'm all for it.

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eznet
I guess if people want to pay for something that is widely reported as being
free, then let them pay for it. Maybe once they become emerged in Ubuntu
goodness, they will awake to their error in paying for something they could
have burnt themselves for free - likely causing some customer relation issues
for good old Best Buy along the way.

On a related note, I would personally like to offer 'air' (not to be confused
with AIR), a simple and easy to use fusion of nitrogen and oxygen - for the
low price of 19.99!! Also, for a limited time I am offering CrapSquad support
for the low-low of 99.99 per service call. Act now!

~~~
omouse
Some people _like_ paying $$$ to people who give them valuable goods and
services. Just because the distribution cost is close to zero, it doesn't mean
that the _value_ of the product is close to zero.

~~~
eznet
Thanks for the condescension. I couldn't agree more on cost not equating value
- I am an avid Ubuntu user and would gladly pay for its value as an operating
system. The above was a joke - apparently not a good one, but a joke none the
less. It was intended to be delivered at the expense of BestBuy, not Canonical
- surely you are not presenting them as providing valuable service ;) But
alas, a joke that requires an explanation was clearly not a well executed joke
to begin with - I retract. Thanks for the education on value and economics.
sheesh.

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deathbyzen
This is really good news and from what I've been read the tech media response
is largely positive. I don't use Ubuntu or any linux distro for that matter,
but if the option is there I would recommend Ubuntu over Vista, XP, most
anything else (except OS X) because of the value of that deal. The funniest
part of this story is one of the customer reviews on the BB website from a
person in "Moronville, KY"

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damon
Just curious... Do people really buy linux off the shelf? Why? The packaging?
Docs? Box?

~~~
there
many, many years ago before i even knew what linux was, i saw redhat linux
being sold at a computer store on the shelves with other software.

its box had screenshots on the back that made it look appealing, it came with
a nice printed manual, and it was on a cdrom. this was back when everyone was
still using dialup connections and the thought of downloading an entire
operating system over it would have turned me off from trying it.

buying that was what enabled me to become interested in linux and unix in
general. during my initial learning period, i consulted and made notes in that
printed manual many times.

