[clug] Google compared to latest Microsoft evilness

[Lana Brindley]

2009/7/9 Chris Smart <mail at christophersmart.com>

> 2009/7/9 Lana Brindley <lanabrindley at gmail.com>:
> >
> > Sorry, Chris, but you've got that a bit mixed up.
>
> Thanks for the heads up :-)
>
> >
> > Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a free operating system - there's no
> restriction
> > on what hardware you can run it on.
> >
> > That said, you only get the support you pay for.
> >
> > So, I can download and install RHEL on a machine with 16 CPUs and 64GB of
> > RAM, and use it to my heart's content.
>
> Cool, where can I download it? Because if I download the source and
> compile it myself it's no longer RHEL and I'll get sued if I try to
> call it that.



You will get sued by any company if you try to distribute something with
their branding and without their blessing. There is absolutely nothing
stopping you downloading the source and doing what you want with it, though.

I have CDs if you want a copy. Failing that, call them up and ask for one.


> > When I call up the RH Support number,
> > they will provide support for up to n CPUs and nGB of RAM, depending on
> the
> > support level I have.
>
> Right, so Red Hat limits what hardware you can run your software on,
> just like Microsoft.


No. No they don't. They limit what they will support. Not what you can run
your hardware on.

Put it this way ...

When you install Fedora/Ubuntu/$DISTRO you can run that software wherever
you want, you can rebundle, repackage, pull the branding out and stick your
own in, use it on multiple machines, etc.

When you install RHEL you can do all those things too. There is no
restriction to where you can run that software.

When you have trouble with Fedora/Ubuntu/$DISTRO you google, you come to a
LUG, or you use a paid-for service.

When you have trouble with RHEL, you can do any of those things, OR you can
call the RH tech support line. It's what you get on the end of that
particular phonecall that might be limited.


>
> I know they will argue, it's about support, etc. But how does the
> amount of RAM make any difference? Red Hat, IMO, is restricting what
> users can do in order to make extra cash.


It's not restricting what users can do, it's restricting what they offer for
the support money you pay. Just like any other paid-for technical support.


>
>
> I'm not saying that's bad, but I don't think it's much different to
> Microsoft's offerings except that there you pay a license fee for the
> software and with Red Hat you pay a "support. fee".


I see a big difference here. And I think you're mixing up the ideas of "will
run on" and "will be supported". Whether it's bad or not is a matter of
personal opinion.

L

-- 
Cheers! Lana

The artist doesn't have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to
be writers read the reviews, the ones who want to write don't have the time
to read reviews.
 - William Faulkner

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