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dE_logics
February 11th, 2010, 05:59 AM
I install Ubuntu for free here...I've given it to many people, and most of them are happy with it. I can troubleshoot most of the problems (thanks to Gentoo) for e.g. hardware compatibility and all.

One of my friends said I can start a good business off this...I didnt think about it that much until one of my friend told another friend that I charged him for installing Ubuntu...and the guy agreed to get Ubuntu installed for half the price of Windows 7.


Man this is crazy. And now I'm now seriously thinking about starting a business off this...I always wanted to (FOSS technical support) but now it's getting real! And I didn't even do any effort!!


Now what I wanna become is a real Linux administrator...what should I do?...I mean I should understand the whole xorg.conf, all mount options, I know many but not all. So I need advice on what needs to be done to fill me more with knowledge to as to become a real administrator.

Mike'sHardLinux
February 11th, 2010, 06:11 AM
NOTHING beats real experience! Just do it!! Learn as you go! (Just like you are already doing)

If you can afford it, buy/build spare systems, and build small network and test things....set up Samba, NFS, DNS, Apache, etc......Set up desktop and try different setups....different WMs, different versions......Compile software from source.

Some people will say that making money this way contradicts the whole idea of FOSS, though I think it is pretty clear that the F means freedom to modify the software and use it how you want to.

undecim
February 11th, 2010, 06:42 AM
NOTHING beats real experience! Just do it!! Learn as you go! (Just like you are already doing)

If you can afford it, buy/build spare systems, and build small network and test things....set up Samba, NFS, DNS, Apache, etc......Set up desktop and try different setups....different WMs, different versions......Compile software from source.

Some people will say that making money this way contradicts the whole idea of FOSS, though I think it is pretty clear that the F means freedom to modify the software and use it how you want to.

+1

Also, if you can't afford the spare systems, virtual machines are golden. You can set them up so that they appear as completely different devices on your network (different MAC addresses even)

simpleblue
February 11th, 2010, 07:18 AM
I think it's a great way to make money. Yes, there is the arguement about being a completely free system, but if someone wants you to install it for money, then take the money.

You'd be doing more then just installing it I hope. You could help them by setting up an easy to use email system, a video player with custum settings, a theme they like....

It actually SAVES the customer money because they don't have to buy any extra programs. It's an investmen! ALL the software is free and they only have to ask you what they'd like.

You could even have it all on a USB drive and pop it in. You could even do offline installs if necessary if you had the extra programs.

This also keeps that money in your hands on not on a multi-billion dollar company that plans to take over the world.

You are saving the planet! :P

Okay, maybe that last line is going a little too far. :-k

j7%<RmUg
February 11th, 2010, 08:22 AM
Its an awesome idea, just dont charge them for the actual OS just labor, parts, etc...

Khakilang
February 11th, 2010, 08:26 AM
I would say go ahead but don't forget to contribute what you have develop for the the benefit of the Linux community.

AlexDudko
February 11th, 2010, 08:55 AM
I'd give you an advice to get familiar with not just Ubuntu but also OS's commonly used in production severs: Debian and CentOS. The former is very similar to Ubuntu though having some peculiarities, but the latter has quite a number of differences and uses different software for securing the system. For instance, SELinux is widely used in RedHat based distro's but not in Debian based (Ubuntu included), though being implemented at the moment into them. SELinux in Debian and Debian based distro's is still very raw, IMHO.

Gallahhad
February 11th, 2010, 11:43 AM
Now what I wanna become is a real Linux administrator...what should I do?...I mean I should understand the whole xorg.conf, all mount options, I know many but not all. So I need advice on what needs to be done to fill me more with knowledge to as to become a real administrator.Do an LFS install.
You should understand enough to take care of your clients at what ever level of support they are ever going to require from you; something to think about as you go about converting people. Are you up to the task, cause at the end of the day, Operating Systems are not religions, they are machines, machines that break.
Get yourself a test box, install lots of different distro's to it. Find some known hardware that presents trouble, see if you can make it go anyway; in otherwords give yourself the gift of a lab, make yourself the lab rat, then go ply your skills on the public.

People pay for knowledge, and time. That's really about it.
Charge for your knowledge, be sure to consider your time investment, and charge accordingly; if you get greedy, your phone will get quiet, if you get cheap your phone will never let you sleep, if you get it jusssst right, you'll have plenty to do, and time to sleep/eat/drink and see Mary.

Don't forget about MS Windows, there's a lot of bread and butter there.

Oh, and don't try to learn everything before venturing out; it can't be done, and you'd never leave the your front door if you waited for that.

Swagman
February 11th, 2010, 11:50 AM
Well... I'm usually kept in "Free VB" (Beer) so go for it.

dE_logics
February 11th, 2010, 01:17 PM
Thanks for the advices everyone!!

I'll keep on experimenting...keep on leaning and keep on installing.



And yeah, keep on donating too.

cascade9
February 11th, 2010, 01:34 PM
For myself, I hate doing tech support as a business. ITs OK doing it for someone else, your shift finishes and thats it, pretty easy. When you are dealing with individuals they always want it fixed, NOW!, and in most cases if you go around to fix some problem you end up having to do half a dozen other things at the same time (like updating, cause they 'forget', installing stuff, removing stuff, fixing the resolution cuase the nephew changed the res to 640x480 to play some on-line flash game, etc., etc). :|


Its an awesome idea, just dont charge them for the actual OS just labor, parts, etc...

Charging for the software is fine-


Does the GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money?Yes, the GPL allows everyone to do this. The right to sell copies (http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/selling.html) is part of the definition of free software. Except in one special situation, there is no limit on what price you can charge. (The one exception is the required written offer to provide source code that must accompany binary-only release.)


http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney


Actually, we encourage people who redistribute free software (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html) to charge as much as they wish or can. If this seems surprising to you, please read on.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html

I charge for installation (less than I do for windows, but thats my choice), and for copies of FOSS OSes. How much I charge depends on what I think the 'market' can bear. Yeah, bet some people will be disgusted by this, but heh....its allowed. If someone is too lazy or technically incompetent to d/l and burn a free OS, its their problem, not mine.

BTW, for the few people I know who only have dial-up I charge virtually nothing. Then again, if they had any money most of them would be on some form of broadband, so its back 'what the market can bear' I spose.