Re: Uncomfortable truths

Mandrake are another example - you can buy the boxed set (in various flavors + manuals), or you can just grab the ISO for free. They also have an enterprise version and sell professional services as well. The value-add is in how a distro is put together , and what they can offer on top of just the OS. But without the "open" model of development, Mandrake's excellent urpmi package manager just wouldnt exist. Open development allows a stack of sorts to be built - an eco-system so to speak. Without the initial seeding, then the ecology couldnt develop. The seeds or individual plants dont matter - it's the ecosystem that does. And it's this networked ecology that gives the customer the value-add. "the network is the computer" - it's not just a marketing slogan - it's a reality , and it's happening now.