Would you buy Alex?

[tower]

Can Alex bring Linux to the masses?
Alex is a Ubuntu respin with a custom designed interface. But Alex isn't free it is for hire! (Along with the laptop and broadband)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8522952.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters ... he_ma.html

[vrkalak]

Not the same topic, but the same subject ... of selling GNU/Linux and Open Source.

I saw on a website where you can BUY use of the Firefox web-browser.

The annual fee for using Firefox is $120 USD

This includes Firefox 3.5 and extensions, add-ons and themes. And, of course, updates.
You buy annual use of the same free down-loadable Firefox we all use.
The company selling Firefox, changed nothing. Not even re-branding.

*face-palm* I'm sure there are many people buying Free Open Source Software (FOSS) and Mozilla products.
As well, as GNU/Linux Operating Systems.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

But, no "I" would not buy Alex (which is basically, a laptop with a Linux OS pre-installed) and the services that go with it ... but you know there are people that will.
It in it's own way, Alex will help make people more aware of what Linux is and how much better an Operating System it is than Windows.
And, that helps to bring Linux and Open Source to the masses.

[tower]

The bit about additional software can be installed from software store. I bet they charge for it!
If you are "disadvantaged" the the amount they charge is quite sizeable.

The thing is if the folks they are selling this too are not computer literate would they know they could get the same basic software for free?

[Pilosopong Tasyo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8522952.stm

[sic]

"Alex is trying to do three things: win new people over to the internet, introduce a new - and more expensive - way of using computers, and take on the might of Microsoft,"

eh???

[distoaddict]

As far as i know.there is nothing in the GPL which says they can't sell it.

[tower]

"People who love Linux will be keen to develop for this," he said.

I have no objection to firms such as Red Hat, Suse, Mandriva or Ubuntu making money from open source. They give a lot back to the community.

But what will the company that produce Alex and others like it contribute?

[Pilosopong Tasyo]

i wouldn't buy it if it will cost me a lot more. i was a tad surprised when i read that one of the goals was to [sic] "introduce a new - and more expensive - way of using computers," considering they're going to use linux as base o/s i would have expected that the wording in the text would have said "...a new - and LESS expensive - way..."

i guess would-be buyers will just have to use their common sense. caveat emptor!