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Xref: sserve comp.os.linux:11988 comp.unix.bsd:6221 Newsgroups: comp.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd Subject: Re: Suggestions for the free Unix projects Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!sgiblab!spool.mu.edu!yale.edu!think.com!unixland!rmkhome!rmk From: rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly) Organization: The Man With Ten Cats Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 21:40:57 GMT Reply-To: rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly) Message-ID: <9210061641.08@rmkhome.UUCP> References: <1akqadINN76c@almaak.usc.edu> <1992Oct3.220517.1325@fcom.cc.utah.edu> <1992Oct3.221703.1496@fcom.cc.utah.edu> <id.GAUT.XH6@ferranti.com> Lines: 50 In article <id.GAUT.XH6@ferranti.com> peter@ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes: >Let's look at the minimum for a releasable version on 386BSD: > >In article <1992Oct3.221703.1496@fcom.cc.utah.edu> terry@icarus.weber.edu writes: >> o The absolute minimum 150 page ring-bound manual and 3 disks costs >> ~$20 including shrink-wrap labor. This is quantity 1000. > >Leave the printed manual out. Sell it separately as a $50 book set in the >bookstores. > >> o Packing and shipping costs are a minimum of $16, assuming UPS >> ground. > >Make this a line item, to encourage quantity purchases. > >> o A "media charge" for tape distribution of $18 is not unreasonable, >> assuming QIC tape and bulk purchase, given production time. Add >> to this additional costs for amortization of alternate tape >> systems if they are going to be used. > >For QIC I'd say that was low. > >> o A "media charge" of $30 is not unreasonable if CD-ROM's are used, > >Well, there are a number of people selling CD-ROM sets of free software >for $25-$40, so this is in line. > >> o A "media charge" of $80 for a *full* high-density floppy distribution >> (unless you own disk duplication equipment) using generic high >> density disks would be getting off light. > >Agreed. > >> How does $1000 sound? Like BSDI? > >Yep. For a source distribution. How about for a binary distribution? I know, >it's not popular, but it's inevitable. > >> Say, I sound like "Bruce" on "Talk Net", don't I? 8-) 8-). > >Usenet is like Talknet where you can call Bruce up when he says something >dumb (which does happen occasionally). At one time, it was rumored that BSDI was going to provide a binary only release of BSD386 for $295. Have they ever said anything about this? -- Rick Kelly rmk@rmkhome.UUCP unixland!rmkhome!rmk rmk@frog.UUCP