Linux at CompUSA

[Nooyawkah]

Re the packaged versions of Redhat 7.3http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=292779
and Mandrake 8.2 http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...uct_code=290851
http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...uct_code=292111

Are they worth the money. Do they provide support, good/better software, etc. than free downloads or inexpensive disks available in many places?

[iisbob]

Buying the retail versions of Linux vs the downloads gives you all the programs without tieing up your bandwidth, online support from the distributer, and nifty manuals to help guide you thru the forest. :D

I'd say go for it, for literally a tenth of the price you'd pay for MS similar OS/products you get an awesome deal. ;)

[mjc]

The only difference I have found is that the retail versions give you support and that you don't have to print your own manuals (or just keep them in PDF)

The Mandrake manuals are here...

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/fdoc.php3

RedHat documentation...

http://www.redhat.com/apps/support/

[john5211]

I know someone who bought a RedHat distro back when they were distributing 6.x stuff. Outside of the printed manuals (which you can get online at the links MJC posted), the only thing extra that he got was access to their priority FTP for downloading patches. I guess he could have had tech support too, but I think it was limited to installation issues. Hardly seemed worth it to me (you can get them for free elsewhere).

I would say that as long as you have access to a high speed internet connection, downloading for free is much easier (Red Hat 7.3 takes 3 CD's, so don't try it over a dial up connection :) ).

John

[Paleo Pete]

The main reason behind paying for any distro of Linux is to support its continued development. Yes, it's free and can be downloaded, but it is also made available in retail versions with a few extras to help with some sort of financial compensation for the people who have made and kept it free as well as worked to make it better with each new release.

The Wal Mart here had Mandrake 8 or 8.1 for $25 a while back, when I went in to grab a copy, it was long gone...I figure that's about $175 cheaper than anything Microsoft offered at the time. And half the price of the Microsoft games on the shelf...Next time I find Mandrake on the shelf and happen to have the cash on hand, you bet I'll carry a copy home...support, documentation or not...Will I pay for anything M$ produces? Not a chance...

I was once a big M$ fan, had a lot of respect for them, but the past year or so and especially since the release of XP that respect has gone out the window. (No pun intended) With their escalated attempts at gaining more and more control over the consumer's computer, my opionion of them has diminished by leaps and bounds.

Now that I know they include spyware with XP, which is itself spyware, and changed Hotmail preferences to invite spam without letting users know, I absolutely refuse to ever pay MS another penny, period. OK, I might...just might...get a copy of win2000 someday...that's it...

Sure Linux is available free, but do you want the people continually working on it to starve so your only choice in the end will be our old buddy Mr. Gates???

[Nooyawkah]

Okay Bob and Pete, I'm sold. And Pete, this is where I ordered this morning and it seems like a heck of a bargain. I'll let you know if/when it arrives safe and sound.
Larry
[url]http://www.gogamer.com/cgi-bin/GoGamer.storefront/3d34322e01bca9e42746d0fedee206e3/Product/View/001LINP8
:eek:

[Nooyawkah]

Pete, please check my posting "Great Deal on Linux" and thanks again to all.