[Re: [TriLUG] different versions of 7.2 for sale]

[Beth Ellison]

Damn. Yep. There is no longer a $30 box set. I hate that. And I was told 
that it's because "we aren't focusing on the desktop market" and the $30 set 
"wasn't creating revenue." I shudder at phrases like that. They sound so 
much like the exact things that free, open-source software was built to work 
against.

Of course, Red Hat, et al, are still free online and so are the manuals, but 
I believe that there are a LOT of people like the person mentioned below who 
bought the cheap box set just to support the cause. And I bet we'll lose 
many of them now. On a positive note, our FTP site had some 10,000 people 
show up to download 7.2 and they were all supported--no crash! And we 
(documentation) are putting a lot of new, more advanced content on our 
website as soon as it's written. People know it (Linux) is free, they know 
where to get it, and they are provided with stable sites and free 
documentation. There's solace in that, if not the cruddy revenue/marketing 
turns that have been taken.

Beth
tech writer - red hat



>From: Kevin - The Alchemist - Sonney <alchemist at darkcanvas.com>
>Reply-To: alchemist at darkcanvas.com
>To: Beth Ellison <leonardbernst55 at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Fwd: [Re: [TriLUG] different versions of 7.2 for sale]
>Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 22:46:47 -0400
>
>In case you don't monitor trilug, this came across today....
>
>----- Forwarded message from Jon Carnes <jonc at nc.rr.com> -----
>
>Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 21:57:02 -0400
>From: Jon Carnes <jonc at nc.rr.com>
>To: trilug at trilug.org
>Subject: Re: [TriLUG] different versions of 7.2 for sale
>
>On Monday 22 October 2001 14:27, Rev. Christian J Hedemark wrote:
> > rday writes:
> > >   just to make sure i'm not missing anything, it seems that the
> > > least expensive version of red hat 7.2 you can get has a shelf
> > > price of about $59, is this right?  looks like the days of $29
> > > boxed sets are history.  sigh.
> >
> > If any Red Hat marketing folks are lurking here, some clarification 
>would
> > be appreciated.  I always download first to see if it is worth running.
> > When I see good stable versions with enough new compelling features I
> > usually buy the $30 box set, not because I have to, but because it seems
> > to me the right thing to do to further development of the product.  If
> > the lowest price box set is indeed ~$59 now I don't know if I will be
> > doing that anymore.
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TriLUG mailing list
> > http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
>
>I don't think $60 is too bad.  I won't buy it personally, but I'll still
>buy an official copy for the company!  We always do.
>
>If there are any Red Hat marketing lurkers I think that RH ought to come
>out with some companion guides.  El cheapo ($5 to $20) booklets that cover
>one or more aspects of using linux in a business or technical environment.
>Like extended White papers.
>
>  -Securing your server/Secure Networking
>  -Setting up DNS for your company or just your home
>  -Integration with a windows network
>  -Setting up your server as a Print server
>  -RPM's revealed: a guide for the common man
>  -Setting up a mailserver for home or corporation
>  -Turning your server into a load-balancer (and virtual server)
>  -Basic Firewalling for everyone - a must have book
>  -Advanced firewalling
>  -Setting up a VPN or private network
>
>These should be just like the how-to's but written specifically for RedHat,
>and priced cheap enough that they become must-have items.
>
>This type of easily accessable, specific documentation will allow RedHat to
>seize the market share of corporate linux installs.  Just seeing the books
>on the shelf will help admins make the leap to Linux as a replacement for
>their pricey alternatives.
>
>Yes, I know that few of my fellow TriLUGers would purchase such books, but
>I would have most of those on my book shelf at work, and I would pass them
>around to others as a handy reference.
>
>Maybe I should go into the publishing business...
>
>Take care - Jon
>_______________________________________________
>TriLUG mailing list
>http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
>
>----- End forwarded message -----
>
>--
>--------------------------------------------
>--      Kevin "The Alchemist" Sonney      --
>--  New email : alchemist at darkcanvas.com  --
>--  http://www.darkcanvas.com/~alchemist  --
>--  ICQ: 4855069            AIM: ksonney  --
>--------------------------------------------
>
>"If you'll read the subtext for many of those old strips, you'll find
>the heart of an old-fashioned Libertarian. And I'd be a Libertarian,
>if they weren't all a bunch of tax-dodging professional whiners."
>   -- Berkley Breathed, 2001


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