I want to know Why I Should buy Linux When It Is Free.
I mean I can download any Linux distro and use it.
What makes me buy it?
In that case, what makes anyone buy Linux.
What are the Strategies that allow Linux to be sold?
What is the Unique Selling Point for Linux?
When i have windows, What makes me migrate to linux?
Please Help me solve these in a strategic way.
Thanks in Advance

If you buy one of the enterprise versions of Redhat, what you are really buying is a couple of proprietary apps they have to make things simpler but mostly, you are buying the support. If you're running a business and have RH installed on a mission-critical server and it goes down, you don't want to be clicking the New Thread buttong at LQ.org. With Redhat, you can pick up a phone and call support and they will fix it, that's their job. You get better QA on the software that is in the repositories, it's a more business-friendly OS.

Its correct that there will be some proprietary applications for every distro that will able us to buy. Support is the concern when it comes to Servers. Please correct me if I am wrong. But If I want to sell a Linux Desktop when the Competitive Market is Windows, How should I handle it?
Do you really think people are ready for migration?
No!!! I have a Linux Product with Me and I when I go in the Market for Sale, People Ask Me Why Should I Buy your Linux Desktop When I am Happy with My Windows. Tell me why?
Then I prepared a List of Disadvantages on Windows over Linux. Still did not work out.
I even Met People who say when I get Linux Free Online , I can Download and use it. Why Use your Desktop?
I told them whatever I am charging is fo Support not for the Product.Please tell me some good reasons using which I can Convince People Migrating to Linux. It will be a Great Acheivement.

The previous posts addressed the "What's in it for me?" side of purchasing a copy of Linux. That's probably what most people would want to know about purchasing a free product. If you are interested in other reasons that do not directly benefit you this may help.

Purchasing a copy of Red Hat or SuSE or Mandriva helps to support those corporations that have tried to give Linux a more credible image in the business world. A lot of business managers shy away from a product that doesn't have the option of telephone product support. Linux is losing the image of being a toy largely because of the efforts of these corporations that add value to the plain vanilla kernel. If you think that Linux or the *BSD operating systems are an important model for creating new products then it makes sense to support them financially. If the value added resellers of Linux succeed then they help to create the kind of product image that Linux requires to be successful in the corporate environment.

I purchased a CD of Netscape v2.0 back in 1996(?) for the similar reasons. If you like something then support it.

That is different from the issue of whether someone should use Linux. I recommend that if you want people to use Linux then encourage them to use the free distributions. If and when they decide that they prefer Linux to Windows or whatever then you can start talking about spending money on applications for Linux. I see it as a two step process.

Converting people isn't a very good idea in my opinion. Windows and linux are different operating systems, they aren't aimed at the same userbase. It's like telling someone who drives a little hatch around the city they need a 4WD. Sure, it'd work, but what's the point? It doesn't give them a significant advantage they would actually use, it makes parking harder and it costs more to run. Same as converting a Windows user to linux, it offers things they didn't have before but they probably won't use them, it's harder to configure and it costs you more time to hunt down any problems you have.

Why convert the masses? It's like the Matrix, the ones who don't accept the program when given the choice are the ones who need to be set free...

DISCLAIMER: I watched Matrix Reloaded again yesterday.

Dunno If somebody said it earlier - but instead of buying linux shellout some money for linux training before you really dive in to it.
Otherwise whatever you do is sheer waste of time and in the end you end up deserting a well done os in favor of other.

Usually people dive into it because what they heard from some sysadmin and are disappointed that it doesnt meed their expectations.

In order to use linux - first a purpose must be defined then you can always customize/optimize it at your own pace or need be call somebody else to do it for you.
In absence of any prior knowlegde - My suggestion dont use it

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.

When you ]buy a distro, you should be mainly looking at the transaction as a service purchase, not a product.

And that's often exactly what a business wants. They want to be able to install a more-or-less turnkey installation, and have the service and updates to be performed automatically, and that's what they get. The price being charged is insignificant.

I expect that you'll see more and more of this: select a well-defined business requirement, package a complete system for it, make installation drop-dead simple, and sell semi-automatic support by the month.

Most of the good reasons have been covered, no need to re-hash them, but here's one hasn't been mentioned yet. If you have a dial-up connection.

@ LQ

I'd just like to say that my one primary reason for buying linux material, including cds, direct from the company's that fund the distros is because it brings revenue to the community and is a small contribution in which I get something direct in return.

Nothing wrong with giving support to something you want to have continue.

Quote: "People Ask Me Why Should I Buy your Linux Desktop When I am Happy with My Windows. Tell me why?"

Most Linux users I know didn't change while they were HAPPY with Windows. We changed when we became UNHAPPY with Win (or MS).

So cs-cam is probably right -- there is not much point in trying to convert anyone.

I didn't pay for Linux, beause a friend gave me the disks, but I would have been happy to pay. And I have bought distros from a local electronics store (for a just a few dollars each!).
Even on broadband many distros would be a very long download.

Also, as far as I'm concerned, something like a store-bought copy of Suse 10 provides truckloads more value for money than a copy of XP.

Lets talk about why you converted to Linux?
What made u leave MS(Windows)?
Why do u prefer using Linux?

okie lets talk about it.
1. the sick 'windows has detected spyware in your computer. please click here to correct this problem' balloon that pops up every few seconds. if you haven't encountered this then i hope you never do. believe me it makes you want to slaughter Windows. last time one of my client got this problem, i tried all methods that windows suggested i should do to correct the problem. downloaded "Windows defender"-thats their trademark antispyware and did a complete scan. did it solve the problem? NO! i had to search google and then had to do this manually before windows stopped popping that sick message:
deleted c:\winstall manually
deleted any occurence of winstall from the registry manually.
my question is when windows can detect spyware infection why can't it just remove it. i will tell you why? because windows is sick!

2. for no reasons why Windows will stop responding to network connections. If you live in a networked environment this problem will bug you atleast once in your life time. for no reason whatsoever you donot have network connection although you are well connected to your network. your firewall settings are all good and every damn thing that should be there is there. still you can't. you wonder why this happened when only yesterday it was running with no problems. you've tried everything thats there to try out and you can't solve the problem then somebody suggests perhaps you should reinstall windows.
3. you don't have control over your machine anymore.instead you discover your machine now controls you. (yeah i am talking about all those headaches and swearings you do when your machine doesn't does what you want it to do). you can't neccessarily control all the services that your Windows runs. so many poor programs are out there that donot implement the 'principle of least privilege' inherently making you run your windows machine as local administrator thus inviting all sorts of virus|trozans|spywares to come and infect your machine making you curse even more and more.
4.that 'automatic update'. my opinion is you should disable it. particulary if you have low resource machine and especially if you have normal internet connection. this 'automatic update' just hogs your resources and does no good for security. instead install avg and zonealarm and update|scan with them regularly.
5.'system restore' - a way for virus|trozans|spywares to become functional once again even if you've deleted them successfully in the past.

..continued...

that was so useful . Thanks for ur contribution.

welcome here's some more..
1. because i am in absolute control of everything that runs inside my slackbox
2. its damn fast and my productivity depends on how fast i can move my fingers
3. i have a great firewall in place that start|stops exactly those packets i want it to start|stop.
4. i have everything i need in the bundled cd's that came when i bought it (it also comes when you download it)
5. i donot worry about virus|trozans|spywares anymore, chkrootkit takes care of my other kind of intrusion problems.

continued <only if you want more>

[edit]"Never answer a critic unless she asks fot it"[/edit]