so you can make big bucks off linux

[mykalreborn]

http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/YxR4y9WCFMtDr3/Linspire-CEO-Robertson-A-Hero-Among-Geeks.xhtml

now i'm curious if this will just turn into one big debate like last night's cnr talk.:popcorn:

[Adamant1988]

http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/YxR4y9WCFMtDr3/Linspire-CEO-Robertson-A-Hero-Among-Geeks.xhtml

now i'm curious if this will just turn into one big debate like last night's cnr talk.:popcorn:

Linux and open source present the opportunity for new and interesting business models. No one is doubting that. Linspire's CnR gold Subscription service is a perfect example of a potentially great idea.

Basically what is going to happen is Linux companies are going to start saying (like Linspire is) we'll start you all off on the same foot, but you get extra lovin' from us if you pay us. Now, the methods they use to actually get your money will be different, of course there is support subscriptions, but those are mostly for businesses. I suspect as Linux grows you're going to see a lot less emphasis on the product, and a lot more emphasis on the quality of the services that each professional distribution offers.

As for Micheal Robertson, he's a smart man who recognizes trends gets in early and waits for the adoption to peak, and when the going is good, he sells of the project to another company who's interested and makes a great profit.

[Somenoob]

Everything of value is commercialised in the modern world. Just as long as they don't violate the General Public License which Linux was released under, then i don't care.

[deanlinkous]

sells hype...sells spin....
lots of projects never make squat
got back into mp3 because that is the one major success he had


produces a license-free desktop Linux operating system
huh?

Robertson is heralded as a hero of open systems and architecture -- the anathema to businesses that guard their designs, code and architecture through patents and lawsuits.
huh??

Linspire, which is privately held, is the latest incarnation in Robertson's 18-year technology company career.
privately held because their offer to go public got laughed at

Notice when they talk about all his "business ventures" it is pretty slim and the only real money maker that was mentioned is mp3.
Short article, reads like a ad to me. :) Wonder if he dropped a buck to get it put out?

[Brunellus]

I note with interest that Robertson's skype competitor, gizmo/sipphone uses SIP as its protocol (free and open source), but releases a proprietary, closed-source client (gizmo)--which is buggy and unstable.

[DavinT]

That's just weird.

[Choad]

mark shuttleworth is surely more of a geek hero

altho perhaps there will be bias from me :rolleyes:

[Brunellus]

mark shuttleworth is surely more of a geek hero

altho perhaps there will be bias from me :rolleyes:
Marc Andreesen was more heroic. Hack up NCSA Mosaic and turn it into Netscape Navigator. Sell Netscape for a metric shedload of money. Laugh as it all goes down the tubes.

[%hMa@?b<C]

Marc Andreesen was more heroic. Hack up NCSA Mosaic and turn it into Netscape Navigator. Sell Netscape for a metric shedload of money. Laugh as it all goes down the tubes.
and then rises from the ashes?

[bobbybobington]

AFAIK CNR also has a ton of foss software for free as well, it's just the commercial apps and codecs that they make money on.