Wish to do a Linux business!!!

[global citizen]

I wish to do a business based on Linux. Basically I am not a technical person but a trader. Some days back I though about becoming Ubuntu distributor for my country but since its free I dont think its possible. Also thought for other distros but they too are available freely. And the distros that are not free are available through torrents everywhere. Can you give me some idea about what could be possible in this regard? There must be some way to do a Linux based business.:confused:

[sub2007]

Well actually, contrary to popular belief, despite the fact that Ubuntu is free it is legal to charge for CDs. There's nothing in the GPL that says you're not allowed to take someone elses project and charge for it. Whether ethically you feel like you could charge for someone elses work is your own affair. There are a few constraints though.

1. it's probably not a financially viable business considering that hundreds of people sell CDs on eBay and as far as I'm aware don't make an awful lot of profit from it. Anyone who "knows" about GNU/Linux would know that you can download it free of charge from Ubuntu's website or even request a free CD from Ubuntu.

2, As far as other distros go you can do the same PROVIDED that everything about the distro is released under GPL. So you can't redistribute distros like OpenSUSE, Red Hat etc because they include non-GPL elements and so therefore you're not allowed to redistribute it without getting the permission of whoever owns the copyright on those non GPL components.

3. Also bear in mind that when you're charging for CDs most people would say that the onus falls on you to offer tech support (as that's what you're usually paying for). Even though it's not in the GPL if you couldn't offer tech support then I believe that you should make that blatantly clear

4. If you make any code modifications (including simply including a new program out of the box or a new theme) then you must redistribute it under the GPL license (which means that other people could legally give it away for free should they wish and you would have to provide the source code).

5. The Ubuntu logos and names (as is the case for most GNU/Linux distros) are copyrighted so you COULDN'T use them legally without permission from Canonical.

Some reading for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gpl
http://www.ubuntu.com/aboutus/trademarkpolicy

I personally think a better business model would be to acquire old computers, refurbish them if necessary, wipe the HD, put a GNU/Linux distro on them (like Puppy or DSL or maybe even Ubuntu) and sell them as a used basic spec machine for a dirt cheap price. I would imagine that there could definitely be a market for that.

[diablo75]

I already do business installing and maintaining Ubuntu Linux for others (mostly ex-Windows converts). And while I know I could charge for distributing the software, I prefer to say that I charge for the LABOR necessary to get the job done. Plus I get a kind of moral satisfaction out of promoting Linux and open-source software in general.

[lyceum]

I use to have a "business" upgrading PCs from Windows to Ubuntu. It did very well when MS did their "Genuine Windows Advantage" and shut down people with illegal copies of XP. Most people seem to think that XP or Windows comes with their computer and see no reason to pay for it. When they had to, either because someone on the street sold them a PC with an illegal copy of XP on it or they put an illegal copy on it. Once that died down, so did not business. I then sold refurbished PCs with Ubuntu, or more normally Xubuntu, on it. I gave them a live CD and a color printed version of the manual. Again, after a while PCs got so cheep that I could not compete. In the US you can get a new PC as low as $300.

If you really want to make money this way I would recommend selling customized PCs on line. You can go the other routs and see where they lead, but I think that is the way to go. Sell cds and DVDs of different distros for people that do not have the band width and DVDs with programs so they can install programs other than the basics. I would also have the source code on your site free and sell (at cost) CDs/DVDs with that code as well.

I think the biggest problem with FOSS is that people just throw it on old PCs. Yes, it is great for that. When you build a new PC for it, that PC can be amazing.