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View Full Version : shippit a waste of money?



curuxz
September 20th, 2007, 08:15 PM
I was thinking, how much money does ubuntu 'waste' on shippit???

I mean its a good idea and all but maybe they could ofload the spreading free cd's task to the community i mean it must cost crap loads to run and surly that could be better spent on programmers?

I am i just crazy?

Lord Illidan
September 20th, 2007, 08:19 PM
Well, it certainly helps that Mark Shuttleworth is a multimillionaire...

I think of it as a great marketing move. It differentiates Ubuntu from the other distros. And, now they are certainly restricting shipit. Before, you could order huge batches of CDs, now it's being cut down to avoid wastage. But in that brief shipit orgy, Ubuntu became the most popular Desktop Linux distro..

stalker145
September 20th, 2007, 08:35 PM
And, now they are certainly restricting shipit. Before, you could order huge batches of CDs, now it's being cut down to avoid wastage.

So, that's the reason. I thought it was just me that had that problem. I tried ordering my typical 15 (5 of each) and got all three requests rejected. I almost cried.

RomeReactor
September 20th, 2007, 08:43 PM
Many people want to install Ubuntu--or Linux in general--and don't have internet access, so it is a great service for them.

aysiu
September 20th, 2007, 09:02 PM
Many people want to install Ubuntu--or Linux in general--and don't have internet access, so it is a great service for them.
Not really.

If you don't have internet access, Ubuntu kind of stinks. You can't really install software in Ubuntu without internet access.

curuxz
September 20th, 2007, 09:35 PM
Not really.

If you don't have internet access, Ubuntu kind of stinks. You can't really install software in Ubuntu without internet access.



I agree!!!

Its a cool qimmick, but surly if that money, which MUST be in at least the thousends, was put into bounties then ubuntu would rocket.

Maybe I should phone mark shuttleworth up and ask him to stop shippit ;)

RomeReactor
September 20th, 2007, 09:37 PM
Not really.

If you don't have internet access, Ubuntu kind of stinks. You can't really install software in Ubuntu without internet access.

Not everyone needs an internet connection to use OpenOffice or Gimp, particularly students and people who can't afford having an internet connection or windows.

Though I agree that Ubuntu without an internet connection is extremely limited--as are most other distros--and installing software becomes dependency hell (if installing is an option at all), I don't dismiss people who get a hand-me-down computer or barely manage to save enough to buy a cheap machine (or build one themselves out of parts given to them by others or, again, bought cheap). You'd be surprised at the amount of people who request a burnt Ubuntu CD to install in a computer without internet access.

Or perhaps you're just thinking of people in more affluent countries.

PriceChild
September 20th, 2007, 09:40 PM
Not really.

If you don't have internet access, Ubuntu kind of stinks. You can't really install software in Ubuntu without internet access.I don't agree with that myself.

I think to be fair, you should take into account the amount of things you can do from a fresh install, and compare it to windows. (also won't play most media without downloading codecs, no office suite etc. etc.)

Then compare aptoncd from a friend to software you've bought on a cd from a store.

Lord Illidan
September 20th, 2007, 09:42 PM
Yes, without internet, Ubuntu really sucks except for the most basic tasks...and still, you can't use your drivers (imagine being stuck in 800x600 resolution, codecs, etc...

Lord Illidan
September 20th, 2007, 09:44 PM
I think to be fair, you should take into account the amount of things you can do from a fresh install, and compare it to windows. (also won't play most media without downloading codecs, no office suite etc. etc.)You have a nice point there, Pricey, although Windows supports more propietary codecs out of the box than Ubuntu.

In the Windows world, people tend to use CDs more, and most libraries are statically linked, unlike Ubuntu. EDIT : Ignore this, my mistake!

earobinson
September 20th, 2007, 09:44 PM
I think the cd's are great, it gives ubuntu a professional feel and I can and do hand them out to people :)

Lord Illidan
September 20th, 2007, 09:47 PM
I also get this in shipit :

The Ubuntu community would like to thank you for your contributions to the Ubuntu project. In recognition of this, we offer you an expanded set of options for your ShipIt request.

I don't know what I did, except from a bug report or two, some translations and help on the forums..

Warren Watts
September 20th, 2007, 09:52 PM
Before, you could order huge batches of CDs, now it's being cut down to avoid waste..
I was somewhat disappointed here a few weeks ago; I tried to order 25 Ubuntu and 10 Ubuntu-64 disks to give away at work (I work in a large call center doing computer tech support) and they turned down my request.

I'm sure the disks would be snapped up in a heartbeat, because last time I got three disks from Shipit, I took two to work and left them on a table in the break room and they were gone in less than 15 minutes.

The place is full of nerdy computer geeks. Yes, I know I could burn discs and give those out, but there is something to be said about Ubuntu's slick packaging when it come to getting people to try something new.

curuxz
September 20th, 2007, 10:10 PM
I was somewhat disappointed here a few weeks ago; I tried to order 25 Ubuntu and 10 Ubuntu-64 disks to give away at work (I work in a large call center doing computer tech support) and they turned down my request.

I'm sure the disks would be snapped up in a heartbeat, because last time I got three disks from Shipit, I took two to work and left them on a table in the break room and they were gone in less than 15 minutes.

The place is full of nerdy computer geeks. Yes, I know I could burn discs and give those out, but there is something to be said about Ubuntu's slick packaging when it come to getting people to try something new.

yeah i agree it looks cool, but there is a pile of cash and that pile is limited, and surly people would want a better distro on a home burnt disc than a really flashy package without something not very good inside. Now im not saying thats us but the point remains we should be making a product that sells it self not wasting money on gimicks

terry_gardener
September 20th, 2007, 10:10 PM
i think the shipit service is a good idea.

people with slow internet connection or very limiting download limits might want to get the cd from shipit.

the updates aren't really that big once you have it installed.

it is also good to have the choice to either download it or get it from shipit.

jrusso2
September 20th, 2007, 11:14 PM
Shippit is a great idea for people who are limited to dial up access as their is either no broadband where they live or it is too expensive.

Don't forget Linux is international and people and this makes Ubuntu available to those people who maybe couldn't download it.

23meg
September 20th, 2007, 11:40 PM
In the Windows world, people tend to use CDs more, and most libraries are statically linked, unlike Ubuntu.

Almost all libraries are dynamically linked in Windows (DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library). The difference is in the way software is packaged.

Aside from the obvious advantage it delivers to people who don't have an internet connection (nothing vs. something), Shipit is to Ubuntu what Microsoft's signing up with almost all computer manufacturers to ship Windows has been to Windows: it has brought huge popularity, due to being readily available, and at virtually no cost.

Most people buy computers without being aware of the fact that it needs an OS to work; to them, Windows is the thing that starts when the computer starts. It's an unquestioned, de facto standard. Shipit is an attempt to counter the Microsoft strategy; by making an alternative OS available to people, without them having to do much other than place a request to get it for free, you're in effect not only informing them of the existence of an alternative (that they may otherwise be reluctant to pursue), but putting that alternative right in front of their door, in a pretty package, and making it much less resistible.

aysiu
September 20th, 2007, 11:47 PM
I don't agree with that myself.

I think to be fair, you should take into account the amount of things you can do from a fresh install, and compare it to windows. (also won't play most media without downloading codecs, no office suite etc. etc.)

Then compare aptoncd from a friend to software you've bought on a cd from a store. It's not about being fair. It's about being practical.

If you don't have an internet connection, it's far more difficult to install additional software or, in some cases, fix hardware issues (now in 7.04, we don't even have ndiswrapper on the installer CD any more). Not everyone without an internet connection has a friend who can use AptonCD!

Vanilla Windows may not come with much, but you often get more than vanilla Windows on an OEM computer, and most Windows software you buy (CDs) includes dependencies.

user1397
September 21st, 2007, 12:14 AM
let's not forget the ubuntu foundation had a start-up fund of $10M

macogw
September 21st, 2007, 12:59 AM
They're great for LoCos because we have professional CDs to give out at events instead of buying 200 CDs and spending hours burning and Sharpie-ing them (which look very unprofessional). The internet access thing does remind me that I should burn a set of repo DVDs for people around here who lack internet or only have dialup. I'll wait until Gutsy though. I'm mailing a Xubuntu cd to a guy that came to the DC LoCo Team's table at a folk festival last week because having dialup means it'd take him days to download the .iso

mridkash
September 21st, 2007, 05:23 AM
Well, it was the free CD that I got from Canonical that got me into ubuntu. And now, I have it installed as default on 2 computers.
I'm using open source for web development and also learning linux programming so that I can make my dream software.

I cant download distros because net bandwidth is too costly. I'm on a 512 kbps connection with 1gb download limit per month.

Lord Illidan
September 21st, 2007, 01:49 PM
Almost all libraries are dynamically linked in Windows (DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library). The difference is in the way software is packaged.

Aside from the obvious advantage it delivers to people who don't have an internet connection (nothing vs. something), Shipit is to Ubuntu what Microsoft's signing up with almost all computer manufacturers to ship Windows has been to Windows: it has brought huge popularity, due to being readily available, and at virtually no cost.

Most people buy computers without being aware of the fact that it needs an OS to work; to them, Windows is the thing that starts when the computer starts. It's an unquestioned, de facto standard. Shipit is an attempt to counter the Microsoft strategy; by making an alternative OS available to people, without them having to do much other than place a request to get it for free, you're in effect not only informing them of the existence of an alternative (that they may otherwise be reluctant to pursue), but putting that alternative right in front of their door, in a pretty package, and making it much less resistible.

Aye, I made a bit of a mistake with that one there, didn't I? Changing my previous post to reflect that.

karellen
September 21st, 2007, 02:07 PM
it's not a waste as it greatly helped Ubuntu spreading and popularity

angryfirelord
September 21st, 2007, 02:15 PM
I wish they put a number that would tell you how many cds you could order rather than find out that you can't order any more cds.

malspa
September 21st, 2007, 02:20 PM
I use dial-up, so I have to order CDs for each distro that I use. The free CDs are what got me interested in Ubuntu. Since then, I've paid for a couple of Kubuntu versions that weren't available through Shippit. I think the free CDs were a great move. However, since the number of free CDs that you can get has been decreased, I have often wondered how much longer the deal would go on... Nothing good lasts forever!

The best thing about the free CDs, from my point of view, is that it seems to fit in with the spirit of "Ubuntu." It's just a wonderful example of humans giving something back to humanity. I think it's a very powerful thing, and worth continuing for as long as possible.

LowSky
September 21st, 2007, 02:46 PM
I think they are great, but I don't need them because I can download a CD in about 3-4 minutes. I think the best way to spead Ubuntu is just passing along the install disk you used. I have given out a few disks and people seem to love Ubuntu.

Lord Illidan
September 21st, 2007, 02:51 PM
I think they are great, but I don't need them because I can download a CD in about 3-4 minutes. I think the best way to spead Ubuntu is just passing along the install disk you used. I have given out a few disks and people seem to love Ubuntu.

Not everyone has that kind of speed..What's your download speed then? I got gutsy in an hour, not complaining (at 200 kbs).

argie
September 21st, 2007, 03:03 PM
it's not a waste as it greatly helped Ubuntu spreading and popularity

Indeed, I know atleast 3 people who would not have started using Ubuntu without ShipIt. Not including my family.

Seisen
September 21st, 2007, 03:10 PM
I was thinking, how much money does ubuntu 'waste' on shippit???

I mean its a good idea and all but maybe they could ofload the spreading free cd's task to the community i mean it must cost crap loads to run and surly that could be better spent on programmers?

I am i just crazy?

If you look at it from a capitalist standpoint yes it does sound like they are wasting money shipping cd's out for free. If you look at it from a socialist standpoint then it makes sense. Matter of fact I got started using Ubuntu when I order Ubuntu 5.04 cd's from Shipit.

*NOTE
I am not trying to start a flame war or anything of the such I am merely stating my opinion.

argie
September 21st, 2007, 03:17 PM
If you look at it from a capitalist standpoint yes it does sound like they are wasting money shipping cd's out for free. If you look at it from a socialist standpoint then it makes sense. Matter of fact I got started using Ubuntu when I order Ubuntu 5.04 cd's from Shipit.

*NOTE
I am not trying to start a flame war or anything of the such I am merely stating my opinion.

There is a tradition on the Internet where every statement about ideology must be refuted with nothing but subjective views and flaming. In keeping with that tradition: I will now say: "U R WRNG COMMIE PIG @%$@$%@#% @#%$!"

beyond2moro
September 21st, 2007, 03:19 PM
The cd's are a great marketing tool, I think they have been the leading reason for the meteoric rise of Ubuntu. It's also nice in countries with slow internet to get the distro without having to spend weeks painfully downloading it kb by torturous kb... the codecs and stuff are a whole lot smaller and can be set up over a period of time.

Thanks for sharing the wealth Mark!!

beyond2moro
September 21st, 2007, 03:22 PM
There is a tradition on the Internet where every statement about ideology must be refuted with nothing but subjective views and flaming. In keeping with that tradition: I will now say: "U R WRNG COMMIE PIG @%$@$%@#% @#%$!"

You dirty rotten traditionalist you!

Seisen
September 21st, 2007, 03:24 PM
There is a tradition on the Internet where every statement about ideology must be refuted with nothing but subjective views and flaming. In keeping with that tradition: I will now say: "U R WRNG COMMIE PIG @%$@$%@#% @#%$!"

Sweet, I a commie pig now. I evolved from being just a Ubuntu user. :lolflag:

Lord Illidan
September 21st, 2007, 07:36 PM
Sweet, I a commie pig now. I evolved from being just a Ubuntu user. :lolflag:

So you like rolling around in the Linux mud now, Comrade?

curuxz
September 21st, 2007, 08:08 PM
Ok maybe I should rephrase, not a waste of money but rather money that could be better spent else where.

I think they are cool but just the money could be better spent on more developers :)

odzk
September 23rd, 2007, 11:16 PM
well, its a good marketing strat, i dont think that its a waste of money, ok lets put it this way, linux comes with different name like redhat/fedora, suse etc...

why use redhat/fedora when downloading it is such a pain in the @ss when u can just order a free ubuntu cd. so ubuntu is getting more and more popular than other names.

and oh by the way, i ordered 3 disc of ubuntu but for some reason, the quality of the discs are not that good, 2 discs are already doing disc-redudancy and the last copy that i have is already failing.

UbuWu
September 24th, 2007, 12:11 AM
If you don't have internet, you could order the 4 or 5 dvd set that is available from several places containing every single program that is in the repositories!

buzzmandt
September 24th, 2007, 12:19 AM
i'll remind you that microsoft first started by "giving" away windows to IBM......Look at MS now......

angryfirelord
September 24th, 2007, 01:09 AM
i'll remind you that microsoft first started by "giving" away windows to IBM......Look at MS now......
I though they still gave it away? :D

hellmet
September 24th, 2007, 02:20 AM
I don't think Shipit oughta be scrapped. It was Shipit that helped me use Linux when I had almost given on Linux, and was just ordering to see if ubuntu really shipped cds.
I tried the cds, just because Canonical was so nice as to ship cds for free. I've stuck to ubuntu since then. No shipit, no hellmet.
But yea, over time they've been shipping fewer cds. I think the community must take up slight financial responsibility too. This would help Canonical a li'l bit.

holihue
September 24th, 2007, 11:06 AM
I think shippit is good, because here in MIT-fablab Norway (http://www.fablab.no) we have a science week.

And we will give Ubuntu cd's to people.
It would take to long time to burn all cd's on a hundred of cd.

:):):)

ssam
September 24th, 2007, 12:30 PM
I think they are cool but just the money could be better spent on more developers :)

they are hiring http://www.ubuntu.com/employment

new QA person started today
http://liw.iki.fi/liw/log/2007-09.html#20070924b