"There's nothing preventing anyone from charging for Ubuntu..."

Ummmm, actually that's a violation of the license Ubuntu is released under.

http://gpl-violations.org/

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If you look at the screenshot in the post, you'll see that "ValuSoft" is in fact selling the OS, *through* Best Buy. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it crop up at other retailers also.

As Brad points out, you *can* sell GPL software as long as you make the source available. Ostensibly, the charge is for the time, materials, and effort required to package and ship the software. I was wondering with the "free CD option" who eats the cost of the CD, case/sleeve, mailing materials, and shipping costs. I would imagine the cheapest anybody could do that for would be ~$4-5, and I for one am not going to just donate that to anybody who asks.

I'm also glad to see this happening. I don't imagine a lot of people go to B&M stores looking for an OS, but if they do, they'll see a physical box representing an alternative to Windows.

Also, I had to take advantage of something similar (a retail-boxed RedHat) a few years back. My mother-in-law had a big OS failure, and I had to rebuild from scratch. She couldn't find her Windows CD, so I ran out and bought RH at the Staples down the street and installed that. Best of all, since you can actually *use* a limited account on a Linux box (as opposed to say XP), we were able to keep her son from breaking the new Linux install like he had the old Windows one.

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When you add support, $20 for the disc is a bargain. I spent hours and hours setting up wifi, compiz, multiple monitors, etc. Turn that time spent tinkering into lost income and you can see how that $20 becomes the deal of the new millennium.

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Every square foot of retail space must produce a profit. The $20 charge is nominal and reasonable.

Best Buy is selling convenience. Ubuntu can be tricky to set up. Noobs will find the 60-day technical support feature helpful, providing there is a toll-free line that is answered reasonably quickly and the person on the other end is English-speaking and knows his stuff.

Still, its sad to see the end of the free software era. This is the thin end of the wedge. Prices can only increase from here.

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As many have said, the price is perfect considering the support included. I also think that people are weary of getting something for free (if its free it can't be as good as something that costs real monies). Having a low cost alternative to windows with help to get things set up seems like a great first step.

It would be nice though if they said, somewhere, that you can download the same thing for free if you don't need any help with the setup/support.

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You're paying for convenience. You don't have to spend time downloading, or waiting weeks for CD. You can walk in and walk out with it and be ready to install.

But hey, if you want to keep it free (as in "gratis") you can always make 40 copies and sell 'em for 50 cents each.

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$20 for 60 days support is actually very good value.

- Ubuntu linux ships with source. If not on DVD, Canonical makes it available for download free of cost via the package manager.

- GPL allows charging for support. In fact that's one big motivation for Open Source s/w developers.

- I have been installing/un-insatlling Linux eds on computers since years. Trust me, you need a geek around to get Linux optimally configured for your computer. You could ofcourse spend months on google instead and achieve the same target.

- 60 days of support could be a better deal than what MS provides for many of it's products. Considering that Ubuntu is a complete system (OS, Office Suite, Graphics Package etc...)

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If you know how to use Google and forums, than you'll never pay for Ubuntu. You can find ANY guide, tutorial and support. I am a total Linux n00b, but using Google and Ubuntu's (and other) forums I was able to install it without any problems, and setup everything.

I don't know... That's just against everything that Ubuntu (or Linux in general), and open source community are fighting for... At least that's my point of view.

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RedHat used to sell a retail boxed version -- SUSE too (I think Novell still does sell a boxed copy of OpenSUSE, I'm not sure if Best Buy still carries it in its stores, it was carried in the past) -- both were in the $60 range and usually provided a year of support.

$20 seems totally reasonable and actually beneficial. I know I've had situations where I've been away from home and my computer has died and I've had to use someone else's to download a distro, burn a CD, check to make sure the CD burned correctly, install a better burning program because the one on my mom's computer sucks, re-burn the ISO and finally load Knoppix or Ubuntu on my laptop. Trust me, I would much rather drive up the street and spend $20 if stuck in that situation, rather than waste 2 hours doing that.

Plus, a retail presence is a huge way for consumers to become familiar with a brand -- if they've seen something in the store, they are less likely to balk when the idea of using Linux is mentioned. Plus, the support IS a big bonus -- especially for anyone who doesn't have a tech savvy family member or friend to do it for them.

Really though, even if Canonical were willing to give away free boxed retail versions of Ubuntu inside stores, it would be stupid. A million people would grab the "free" DVD and never ever use the software. At least with the free CD/DVD request now, you have to do that -- request it -- so Canonical knows that they have at least a potential customer.

If the OS community wants to get more regular people to embrace and use its software, trends like this are a good start.

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They really aren't buying Ubuntu but purchasing the support.

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It's a good thing. My mom doesn't read Download Squad. Most people who do can install Linux with one hand tied behind their back. There are a lot of people who think there is no alternative to Windows. You can spot these people because they refer to MS Office as "Windows" or a web browser as "the internets" (without being ironic). It could open up a whole new world of possibilities for them. Or they'll install it, say "Why is it so BROWN?" and move back to Windows.
Besides, when Ubuntu describes itself as free, it usually doesn't mean "free as in beer." It means the other kind of free that I don't remember because I get hung up on the free beer and wonder if that's why Ubuntu is the color of Newcastle. The box on the shelf is every bit as open-source as the one you download, whether it's $20, $2000, or comes with a $50 gift card. The pragmatist says there's a sucker born every minute, and if you can get someone to pay $20, or even $2000 for something someone else is giving away, especially if you can do it without breaking any laws, more power to you, and caveat emptor. My mom knows to call me before she buys anything computer related.

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For $20, I'm all for it. I have tried to download Ubuntu, but when I ran the MD5 check, I always got errors; when I posted this on the Ubuntu boards, I was always told that the files were corrupt. Does this come with some sort of installation manual?

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I see it as somewhat like those people who sell classic novels in various e-book formats. They can all be downloaded from Gutenburg for free (which is where the paid-for ones came from), but it's worth a couple of bucks to many people to be able to treat it like any other e-book from their seller of choice.

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I know I am going to be an out sider on this but I would like to see it cost $80-$100 and offer more support. Or maybe offer various levels at various price points.
The reason I put it this way is people often see price as a direct correlation to quality. Sure those of us that use it know it is better than Windows. But the average Joe will see the low cost and assume it is an inferior product.
The key is to let people know they are buying top quality support. So maybe at $100 they get a year of professional level support.

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Most people see 'free' and think 'cheap, not worth anything' or 'full of sales ware crap'. Charging $20 adds a bit of respectability to the item and makes it 'feel' more valuable.

I think people are also more likely to try the product if they pay for it; if it's free, it'll most likely sit in the cd sleeve.

Good play, I say

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Hell no... Not getting scammed... lmfao.. None will if they know bout ubuntu...

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