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Xref: sserve gnu.misc.discuss:6397 comp.os.linux:11681 comp.unix.bsd:6053 Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!news.udel.edu!me.udel.edu!johnston From: johnston@me.udel.edu (Bill Johnston) Subject: Re: Suggestions for the free Unix projects Message-ID: <BvKt5s.I90@news.udel.edu> Sender: usenet@news.udel.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: me.udel.edu Organization: University of Delaware References: <1992Oct3.220517.1325@fcom.cc.utah.edu> <1992Oct3.221703.1496@fcom.cc.utah.edu> <1al9j6INN9q2@almaak.usc.edu> Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 02:49:04 GMT Lines: 66 In article <1al9j6INN9q2@almaak.usc.edu> ajayshah@almaak.usc.edu (Ajay Shah) writes: >terry@cs.weber.edu (A Wizard of Earth C) writes: > >>>There may be a role for a profit-making company to make a $50 >>>shrink-wrapped free Unix with a manual and limited support. > >>o $54 for a boot floppy and tape distribution. >>o $66 for a CD ROM distribution. >>o $116 for a floppy only distribution. >>How does $1000 sound? Like BSDI? > >Ok guys: how does Coherent do it? :-) That's easy: bigger sales volume (and as Ajay points out, less media needed because the distribution is smaller). This means that Coherent pays less for all production expenses than a startup or volunteer organization, with the possible exception of labor. > They have to even write the OS ;-) Same thing goes for the programming costs, which can be spread out over a very large user base. Of course, one doesn't get a large user base without first satisfying alot of customers. There is no reason why a company that distributes free software can't achieve the same economies of scale -- especially when the programmers are willing to give away their work. They'll still have to satisfy customers to succeed, and the measures proposed by Mr. Shah would be a good first step, provided that an entrepreneur would be willing to spend the time and money to sell a product without exclusive distribution rights. If the "product" of such a company is considered to be the "service" of compiling binaries for specific platforms, copying, and providing for easier intallation for end-users; it should be recognized that most of these "services" can be immediately duplicated by the first customer, even if considerable effort goes into writing installation software and documentation (presuming of course that these would be copylefted, and that media would not be copy-protected). A service company that provided customized free software installation would seem (to me) to have less opportunity of recouping startup investment than a technical support firm like Cygnus, which succeeds partly because the act of solving one customer's tech support problem does not immediately pass along the means to enter into competition. A much better business opportunity for a startup firm might be to sell x86 clones with Linux, 386BSD, or Hurd (eventually) pre-installed, along with service agreements to provide on-going software updates. Assembling a quality x86 system inexpensively *and* installing one of the free unix-clones OS takes considerable expertise. This would give a technically competent firm the opportunity to provide several types of service that customers would likely be willing to pay for, with less risk to startup investments from immediately being undercut by a competitor. Now of course if someone wants to set up a non-profit organization to do the same thing, that would be great. Just take some time to compare prices in your local food co-op vs. a big supermarket. For extra credit, try to figure out why Sony sells more stereos than HeathKit. Masochists can ponder the fact that Apple now sells more personal computers than any other company. ;-) -- -- Bill Johnston (johnston@me.udel.edu) -- 38 Chambers Street; Newark, DE 19711; (302)368-1949