Re: ZDNet 'Leaning Towards Linux' Article

[Philip Hands <phil@hands.com>]

Nils Lohner <lohner@typhoon.icd.teradyne.com> wrote:
> In the article 'Leaning Towards Linux' by Neil Randall 
> http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/pctech/content/16/13/os1613.001.htmlit is 
> mentioned that the Red Hat and Debian distributions as being commercial.  
> This is not quite correct.  While Red Hat is a commercial distribution 
> sold for profit, Debian is maintained and compiled through volunteer work.
> CD vendors have the option of duplicating and selling the official  
> distribution CDs.

I presume you are referring to this:

      More recent major
      distributions include the Debian (ftp.debian.org/debian)
      and RedHat (ftp.redhat.com/pub) distributions, both of
      which are commercially supported,

This is true.  Debian IS commercially supported.  See:

   http://www.debian.org/consultants.html

it's just not commercially developed.

Your use of the phrase ``sold for profit'' seems to be intended to be
pejorative.
IMHO this is unjustified, since Red Hat is available for free via ftp.

I think you should follow-up your mail to zdnet, with one that makes it clear 
that you are not an official spokesman for Debian, and that you didn't get 
this statement approved by the Debian project before you sent it (unless of 
course I've been asleep, and missed something).

Signing a mail:

  Debian GNU/Linux

gives an impression that you were acting in an official capacity. Were you ?
(If the answer to that is yes, forget I said anything)

Cheers, Phil.



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