Ubuntu Game Plan?

[ddbann]

Is it in Ubuntu's gameplan to eventually start charging for the o/s?
How will they survive without ads/pay model?
I am really getting into it and am just wodering how they get any revenue to keep going? I would donate a few dollars when I could but I am in a tight spot myself. that's what got me into Linux. A $60 computer used from a school. and a free o/s

[PriceChild]

*thread moved*

Supposedly, Ubuntu will always be free.

Canonical charge for support.

[kevinlyfellow]

From Ubuntu.com

Ubuntu is Free Software, and available to you free of charge. It's also Free in the sense of giving you rights of Software Freedom, but you probably knew that already! Unlike many of the other commercial distributions in the free and open source world, the Ubuntu team really does believe that Free software should be free of software licencing charges.

hmmm, they spelled licensing wrong...

I believe that I've heard they want to make money completely by selling support and Shuttleworth wouldn't be sure if Canonical is making money for about 5 years.

[IYY]

Is it in Ubuntu's gameplan to eventually start charging for the o/s?

No, it will always be free. And not only that, but there will also never be a 'premium' edition for which you will have to pay.


How will they survive without ads/pay model?

For now, Mark Shuttleworth is basically donating money to it. If his money runs out, or he decides to stop funding Ubuntu, there will still be people willing to develop it for free (just like Debian, Gentoo and FreeBSD, all of which require much more effort than Ubuntu to create.)


I am really getting into it and am just wodering how they get any revenue to keep going?

They plan on charging for support.


I would donate a few dollars when I could but I am in a tight spot myself. that's what got me into Linux. A $60 computer used from a school. and a free o/s

The best you can do to help is writing Free software of your own, and converting more friends to Ubuntu. If businesses start using it instead of RedHat and SUSE, Canonical (the corporation behind Ubuntu) will be able to make quite a lot of money by selling support.

[aysiu]

Plans sometimes change, but the current plan is that Ubuntu will always be free. They would charge for official support (I have to say the unofficial and volunteer support is pretty good, but any company using Ubuntu would want to pay for support, not sign up on some free forums).

My guess is that if Mark Shuttleworth ever goes back on this (and starts charging for Ubuntu), he will also release a free version, too. I know right now he prides himself on being different from Red Hat, Novell, and Linspire, but who's to say Ubuntu won't ever move into that direction?

[mushroom]

And if that very unlikely scenario should ever take place, then it'll be forked.

[Brunellus]

Ubuntu is NOT Canonical. Canonical is NOT Ubuntu.


Canonical is a firm whose business model depends on deploying and supporting Ubuntu. If you contract with Canonical, you pay them for this support.

You can, however, use Ubuntu independently of Canonical...gratis.

Canonical/Shuttleworth are looking to drive the "cost" of software to nothing, while making money off the support/deployment end of things. Truth be told, software isn't worth my money, but skills are. If I run a business and don't have the skills to run my own IT, or simply don't want to, I buy those skills from someone else in the market. Canonical hopes I buy them.

[Dual Cortex]

From Ubuntu.com


hmmm, they spelled licensing wrong...


Isn't that British English?

[xfile087]

It is the British spelling yes

[ddbann]

I can inform people of Ubuntu. I can't write programs. I can barely install programs!

[tom56]

In the "Ask Mark" session of Open Week, sabdfl said a profit was already being made, unless I misunderstood.

[PriceChild]

In the "Ask Mark" session of Open Week, sabdfl said a profit was already being made, unless I misunderstood.First I've heard of it...

They're hoping to make it profitable in a couple of years.

[tom56]

<levander> Has Canonical been able to make any money off Ubuntu yet? In what ways are Canonical business model for Ubuntu different than other Linux distributions?

Yes, we offer 24x7 tech support for Ubuntu from our Montreal office.

Could be interpreted as profit. Though now I read again it implies turnover, not profit.

[Brunellus]

Could be interpreted as profit. Though now I read again it implies turnover, not profit.
ambiguous at best.

[lyceum]

I am sure there is some $$'s coming into Canonical now, but their goal is to be making money by 2008. People work on Ubuntu free, and others may give money. They also seem to be selling tee-shirts and the like with the logo on it. If you want to help, get a tee-shirt, it gives $$'s and spreads the word w/out saying anything.

Donations:
http://www.ubuntu.com/donations

Ubuntu Shop:
http://www.cafepress.com/ubuntushop/

Both of these are linked from the Ubuntu homepage. You can go to Canonlcal's site for their goals and agenda...

http://canonical.com/