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From: orc@pell.chi.il.us (Orc)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Linux vs FreeBSD
Date: 25 Dec 1995 04:36:51 -0800
Organization: The Deacon Brodie Fan Club
Lines: 42
Distribution: comp
Message-ID: <4bm5t3$mq2@pell.pell.chi.il.us>
References: <489kuu$rbo@pelican.cs.ucla.edu> <4ahtib$ckq@helena.mt.net> <4angta$e2@pell.pell.chi.il.us> <4aqavf$ss5@helena.mt.net>
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Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.advocacy:31972 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:11414
In article <4aqavf$ss5@helena.mt.net>,
Nate Williams <nate@sneezy.sri.com> wrote:
>In article <4angta$e2@pell.pell.chi.il.us>, Orc <orc@pell.chi.il.us> wrote:
>>In article <4ahtib$ckq@helena.mt.net>,
>>Nate Williams <nate@sneezy.sri.com> wrote:
>[ Difficulties in providing on-line copies of GPL source code ]
>>
>> You're forgetting the easy solution. Burn a CD Rom and stuff a
>>copy of everything, including the 2.6mb of kernel sources, onto that
>>disk. Util you reach the point where your application + the system
>>is within 2.6mb of the capacity of the disk, you've managed to provide
>>an easy to get at collection of the essentials for the system for an
>>additional cost of about $.55 ($.04-$.40 for the CD, $.15 for the sleeve
>>to stuff the CD in.) Wouldn't that be easier than distributing an
>>archive copy on tape, or, worse, not distributing an archive copy and
>>forcing a FE to go to the site if a reinstall is necessary?
>
>Okay, when it comes time to ship I'll hire you to do the CD for me.
>I'll pay you $0.55 + shipping to my customers to provide them CD's.
>
>Now, I probably won't ship copies of my software, but since you can do
>it so cheaply instead of me having to do all the costs (which would end
>up costing me at *least* $50-60/CD) you can do it for and I can rest
>assured I'm now following the GPL.
>
>(If you couldn't tell, the above paragraphs were meant as sarcasm).
>
>Cutting a custom CD costs *ALOT* more when you aren't a CD company. It still
>cheaper than using floppies, but it's not $0.55 CD.
It depends on the size of the run. If it's a moderately large
run, the prices drop like a stone; and if it's a small run, you can,
as mentioned elsewhere, charge the people who want access to the
sources exactly what it will cost you. Now, most people won't want
to pay that sort of money, but if someone is willing to pay $1000
for a cd-rom burner, $20 for a blank, and $55 for labor, why
bother to stop them?
____
david parsons \bi/ Okay, you'll have to keep the sources lying around,
\/ but isn't that a good idea to start with?