Showeq linux box for sale

[bonkey]

Is there a market for selling preconfigured redhat boxes with showeq setup?

People can't seem to get a handle on linux with both hands. Those of us who know our way around could help them out and make a little green besides.

I have 2 concerns. 1) Is this moral. Making money from a freeware project. But then again redhat and everyone else is doing just that. The hardware will be the majority of the cost anyway. 2) Will this make SOE/Verant finally go after showeq as a real threat?

Please let me know what you think.

--Bonkey

[casey]

showeq is not freeware, it is open source software under the GPL. If you dont know the difference, maybe you should think twice about the rest of your business plans.

I dont think it has a market, unless you outsource to the global services branch of IBM to handle all the tech support your clients are going to want from you.

[bonkey]

1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.

You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.

-----------

I understand the concept. I have some of my own softeware published under GPL. I am simpy asking for opinion on whether or not this something that I should do, not whether I can do it.

Also, if this was something I did, it would not be something I would support. This would be something like a 1 time sale ebay auction. (amusing side note: I work for a global support organization, not IBM although I have worked for them in the past)

-- Bonkey

[high_jeeves]

As soon as you start making money off of a project that defeats the encryption scheme by Verant, you are asking for a world of hurt... There is a BIG difference to any corporate entity between somebody cheating, and somebody making money cheating...

I generally think that there are morality issues with doing this, but that is just my opinition... There are certainly DMCA issues tho...

--Jeeves

[Dedpoet]

Bonkey, take a look at this thread for a bunch of comments on this topic:

http://seq.sourceforge.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=896

[bonkey]

Thanks for the link. I didn't know this had been discussed previously.

[Zaphod]

Without at least a modicum of support their is no market. In fact besides the cost of the physical act of transfering the software, the only place to make money is in the support (warranty) service. And with ShowEQ that would be non-trivial.

You'd learn to rue patch day...

Also, there is the legal exposure you would have to Verant/Sony, who might just become interested in you if one of YOUR/THEIR customers complained to them (not unprecedented, people can be stupid).

Enjoy,
Zaphod (dohpaZ)