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Old 07-07-2005, 01:12 PM   #16
Matir
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I don't hate linspire one bit, but if I were going to pay for linux, I'd probably go with someone with a bit more history, like SuSE or Red Hat.
 
Old 07-07-2005, 01:22 PM   #17
linuxforlife
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Quote:
Originally posted by Matir
I don't hate linspire one bit, but if I were going to pay for linux, I'd probably go with someone with a bit more history, like SuSE or Red Hat.
Linspire is Debian base, that is a great history.
 
Old 07-07-2005, 02:20 PM   #18
sundialsvcs
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You know, we all should acknowledge the simple notion that "Nothing's really 'free.'" Why? Because the product of human expertise is never without cost.

If someone gave you something of value "for free," a wise accountant would insist that you nonetheless account for that cost, at "fair market value." The fact that you did not pay cash for it and were not required to pay cash for it by its supplier does not alter the fact that it has a cash-equivalent value.

If you hired programmers to develop something, and then gave away the product of their labors for free, without getting compensation in some other cash-equivalent way, then that wise accountant would insist upon getting his bills paid right away(!), because he'd know that your so-called "company" isn't going to be in business for very long! You're going to burn right through your cash supply, and then... buh-bye! (Just ask about 10,000 "dot-bombs" how that song is played...)

If you adopted a "free" package and spent the next two days installing it and fixing any problems, the accountant would insist that you count the opportunity cost that was generated by the fact that you earn $X an hour and could have been earning that rate but were prevented from doing so because you were futzing with the software! This opportunity-cost component is often overlooked but it is the linchpin of the argument that "nothing's free." When all of these costs are properly accounted for, "free" can actually become far more expensive than something which is appropriately priced!

When you pay for a piece of software, and get what you pay for, then a lot of what you are paying for is the cadre of programmers who are being employed to find and fix problems. The costs of that programmer can be amortized over all of the products that are actively earning revenue, instead of being individually borne by each (customer!! ) programmer who is "futzing." The product might have cost $100,000 to build and it might cost the company $40,000 a year to maintain it... but if the company has 10,000 actively revenue-producing licensees, each one of them is getting $40,000 worth of maintenance for a mere $4 apiece. (The key ingredient here is "actively revenue producing." It is for this reason that most computer software, other than consumer-ware, usually includes an annual maintenance fee in addition to the initial purchase-price.) Successful software production is strictly a volume-vs.-price business.

The world is chock-full of former software-companies and their perfectly good "abandonware" ... left destitute along with their customers simply because the companies ran out of cash. When that happens, nobody wins.

Last edited by sundialsvcs; 07-07-2005 at 02:34 PM.
 
Old 07-07-2005, 02:33 PM   #19
Matir
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Quote:
Originally posted by linuxforlife
Linspire is Debian base, that is a great history.
That's assuming Debian has a great history. I used to use and like Debian, but switched away from Debian about a year ago. Got sick and tired of waiting for updates.
 
Old 07-07-2005, 03:53 PM   #20
aysiu
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I agree with sundialsvcs.

A lot of times what appears to be "free" is just not cash-up-front. Still, sometimes that not-cash-up-front is worth it. With my old Windows installation, I didn't have a CD burning program. I also didn't have Photoshop or any serious graphics editing program (not that I do serious, serious graphics editing, but sometimes I want a little more than MS Paint can offer). Nero is about $80 US. Adobe Photoshop is about $600 US right now. That's $680. Now, I don't currently work in a job that pays overtime. So, even if I work extra hours, that $760 doesn't just happen. I could get a second job, but... uh, no thanks. Why would I want to waiter or do some crappy second job away from my wife and cat to make the $680 to buy new software?

Instead of working a crappy job to pay for commercial products, I can use Linux and get K3B or Gnomebaker and GIMP for free and spend time learning a new operating system (which is fun) and my hours do not get taxed by the government. Yes, time is money, but I'd rather spend my time learning a new operating system than getting a second job to buy new software. I also volunteer a lot of my time providing support on forums like these, trying to help other people new to Linux. Sure, volunteer efforts alone can't keep Linux alive, but a lot of work for Linux is volunteer work.

It's really just a matter of weighing what's important to you. I'm sure a lot would prefer working a second job to working out Linux kinks on their own.

P.S. I have a relative who spends a lot of time researching new credit cards and rewards to sign up for. He signs up for cards, gets promotional points, uses them, and cancels the card before the year is up. Researching the cards and keeping track of which ones to cancel and use and when is like another job. For him, it's worth it to get all the "free" rewards. For me, I'd rather just stick with the credit cards I have and not deal with new offers.

Last edited by aysiu; 07-07-2005 at 03:56 PM.
 
Old 07-19-2005, 07:25 AM   #21
Charos
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I am a Mepis user, but have tried many distros, SuSE,Mandrake,Fedora,SLAX,Knoppix,Ubuntu,Kubuntu and a bunch of others.I settled on Mepis for its ease of use, and the fact that it was a Debian based distro.

I tried Linspire Live (from a magazine CD) and really liked the attractive look of the GUI and such. CNR looks quite well designed too.

However,I couldn't see that it offered anything more than I am currently getting with Mepis - Synaptic Package manager is every bit as convenient as CNR - and doesn't cost me anything.

I use the new Crystal Clear icon set and my window style is now Linspire Clear,so I now have the elegant look of Linspire too.

I don't see anything wrong with Linspire wanting to charge a fee for intellectual property - it is still cheaper than Windows, but at the moment I don't see anything in Linspire that I don't have in some degree in Mepis.
 
Old 07-19-2005, 01:21 PM   #22
girlboxer5
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Quote:
I can use Linux and ...GIMP for free
Just a minor note: you can also get the GIMP for free in a Windows version
 
Old 07-26-2005, 05:37 AM   #23
anjum
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Hi after all i have used linspire 5.0 but was unable to install my Intel 536EP internal modem on it and thats why cant enjoy internet experience.

any helps for me??
 
Old 07-26-2005, 06:08 AM   #24
Charos
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Internal modems are notoriously difficult,if not impossible to set up or be recognised in most Linux distros.

Best bet is to get yourself a serial external modem and you will be setting yourself up on the net in seconds.

External serial modems aren't very dear and are well worth it. I use a SwannSmart Pro Surfer, and I can swap it easily between my different Linux machines - in each case it was a breeze to set up.

Xandros is said to recognise some internal modems, so that may be worth a try if you don't want to buy another modem.

In my view,the serial modem is your best bet.
 
Old 07-26-2005, 06:27 AM   #25
anjum
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thanks Charos for your reply.

so it means that i forget to use internet if i insist on installing my internal modem?

i am using Suse 9.3 pro. it does install my modem correctly but i am unable to get online as it tries to dial.
it even doesnt open the modem port but seems to be dialing. when i view the "view log" it gives me exit code 8 message.(modem is set at ST0)
Please advice
 
Old 07-26-2005, 09:11 AM   #26
Charos
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Well anjum,

I used to have Suse 9.2 and had an internal Motorola SM56 modem. Suse recognised my modem as a modem but when I tried to dial, it would begin the connection process then stop.

I went to the Motorola website and downloaded Linux drivers and installed them (as far as I know,Yast installed them correctly). This did not work, and all the research I did at various forums told me that I should change modems.

As soon as I connected the new modem and booted up, I was able to setup my connection and dial up straight away without any problem at all.

I honestly don't know if you can get your internal one to work, perhaps someone who has had success with one can help you more.

You should post the type (Brand Name etc.) here in case someone has had some luck with the same one.



 
Old 07-26-2005, 10:12 AM   #27
anjum
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well can you help me out in mounting department?

when i mount the drive dha1 or dha6 it says
special drive dha6 doesnt exist
despite of making folder and mounting mkdir/mnt

any suggestions??
 
Old 07-27-2005, 05:50 AM   #28
Charos
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I'm afraid I can't help much there either I'm afraid as I have never tried what you are doing.

What did you create this for? Have you added a device or are you just making a folder?
 
Old 07-28-2005, 12:46 AM   #29
New2Tux
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This comes up a lot. You can also go visit their forums for first rete assistance. Like said the software can be sold, free only refers to the source code. THey are a for profit company. CNR seems to be the sore point for most pwople. Yes it is slow, but htey are working on that. OpenOffice is generally slow to start with, it is Java based so that is expected. You can compile your own programs and put them in, someone asked about that yesterday over there. If you are unsure about it as a distro, buy the book they sell with the Live CD. First it tells newbies how to navigate and do minor things, secondly it can tell you right away if all your hardware will be recognized and if you don't like it sell the book or give it away or even better donate it to your library. ( you know the place with all the books ewwww..)
 
Old 07-28-2005, 02:03 AM   #30
Charos
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Yes, I like the look of Linspire very much, though I currently run Simply Mepis and will be dual booting with StartCom Linux Multimedia soon.

I would like to dual boot Linspire with Windows on an old IBM 300PL desktop - is this feasible?

I know some Linux dual boot scenarios have 'broken' the Windows part for a friend of mine who has tried Suse and Mepis.

I had a successful dual boot with Xandros but would rather have Linspire (I have the Linspire Live 5.0 CD - can I install that to the HDD or is it only a Live CD?)
 
  


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