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free-as-in-beer distros

free-as-in-beer distros

Posted Nov 17, 2003 21:29 UTC (Mon) by ccyoung (guest, #16340)
In reply to: 2003 LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards by ohmygod
Parent article: 2003 LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards

with RH going to enterprise, you have Fedora, which should be free-as-in-beer for a while. if you're a real man, you can use Debian - although with new installer, and with $$ going into a desktop distro, the real man qualification might soon be dropped.

in any case, IMHO, for non-contributers and non-third-worlders such as myself, a yearly contribution for the rights to the upgrade service is appropriate.


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free-as-in-beer distros

Posted Nov 17, 2003 22:31 UTC (Mon) by arcticwolf (guest, #8341) [Link]

Actually, I think you can use Debian if you're a real woman, too.

free-as-in-beer distros

Posted Nov 17, 2003 22:58 UTC (Mon) by coriordan (guest, #7544) [Link]

> a yearly contribution for the rights to the upgrade service is appropriate

Personally I use Debian and donate to FSF. Charitable donations are a more efficient way of funding services, since they bypass the taxman etc.

Updates might be the most visible service that people use, but the work FSF does in defending the GPL etc. is an important service that we should fund when we can. Becoming an associate member of FSF is one good way to fund them, and you get a few freebies (heh, not just software) member.fsf.org

free-as-in-beer distros

Posted Nov 18, 2003 5:14 UTC (Tue) by bajw (guest, #11712) [Link]

I love and often download the free-as-in-beer distros; I get broadband access as a perc from my job. I also support the FSF, and the EFF, and the CPSR with the money I save from the broadband and from having to buy ugly proprietary software. I try to be as generous as I can, since I am not a programmer and cannot contribute in that way.
The freedom is the part that matters, not the cost, and I always contribute way more than it would cost to buy some nasty trapware. I always urge others who can afford to to do the same.
Donations to the FSF work in great ways, and are as good a way to "buy software" as there is. I encourage all who can to become associate members, and to donate whatever else they can. It is *very* important.
-BA

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