<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> <title></title> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> Lee Sharp wrote: <blockquote cite="mid:4ACEC834.4000700@hal-pc.org" type="cite"> <pre wrap="">Johan Mynhardt wrote: </pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre wrap="">I'm done explaining to people when they ask "but why would someone do something for free?" </pre> </blockquote> <pre wrap=""> Another myth. I get paid for "selling" free stuff. I have paid FOSS devs for custom work. We all have to keep our skills up no matter what OS. And I work the forums to hone my skills, make contacts, and generate goodwill capital at the projects key to my business. But, it gets old saying it over and over. Lee </pre> </blockquote> I agree with Lee and Johan. Some of these things may be released for free by it's coders, which will actually charge for other (more advanced) products that they design. Like the saying goes "Linux is Free as in beer" and I always took it to mean getting a free beer from a friend. You can't really complain about the brand or the taste, because well it's free and given to you as is by your friend. This is the same for free software, you only get the best the people have to offer without charging, which may be easy or hard to learn, better or worse than more commercial products. It's a free beer and you just have to take it as you get it. This was how I tried explaining to my friends why I use Ubuntu now at a braai on Saturday. I admit that I complained a bit at the start about the taste (just ask Johan), but after I really got into it, I started to enjoy the taste of it. I think I also explained MS products as paying more for the brand name than anything else. This is like a beer too, you actually pay allot for some beer, because of their name rather for how and where they are made. Anyway, the point is that if you like your 'brand', stick by it, because Linux is actually an acquired taste at times, but if you're willing to risk a few unpleasant drinks, you might just find you actually like it allot and come back for more of it. :) --- Brenton Scott </body> </html>