User Linux

[Jay Turner]

On Wed, Feb 11, 2004 at 07:51:49AM -0500, James Drabb wrote:
> First, let me state that I do despise MS, and I am playing devils
> advocate.  However, let us look at the cost over 5 years for RHPW and MS
> Windows XP Home.  We need to assume that RH will support RHPW for 5
> years and not drop support like RH 9.
> 
> RHPW year 1: $50
> RHPW year 2: $60 for updates
> RHPW year 3: $60 for updates
> RHPW year 4: $60 for updates
> RHPW year 5: $60 for updates
> ----------------------------
>            $290 over 5 years
> 
> MS XP Home year 1: $99
> MS XP Home year 2: $0
> MS XP Home year 3: $0
> MS XP Home year 4: $0
> MS XP Home year 5: $0
> ---------------------
>      $99 over 5 years
> 
> Do you see the price difference?

The truth is actually somewhere in the middle.  Updates to the RHEL product
line are completely free in source form.  They are posted on hundreds of
mirror sites around the world and are free for anyone (not just customers
of Red Hat) to download and use/distribute/laugh at . . . whatever someone
feels like doing with them.  And since RHPW is a part of the RHEL family,
you will indeed see us supporting the product for 5 years, so your total
cost for RHPW over 5 years should be "$50 + some time to recompile
updates."

Saying you are paying $60 for updates isn't the whole story.  For $60, you
not only get access to a fact pipe for the updates, but you also get access
to the management features which are part of Red Hat Network.  More
information about what is included in the $60/year subscription is
available at http://www.redhat.com/software/rhn/update/.  One of the nicest
features is that you can remotely manage the updates on your machine, so
from any net-enabled machine in the world, you can issue updates to your
machine whereever it is.  In addition, you can receive email notifications
when updates are released which are necessary on your system, and choose to
have those updates applied automatically.

- jkt
-- 
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Jay Turner, QA Technical Lead      jkt at redhat.com             Red Hat, Inc. 

        Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
                                                   - Albert Einstein