> costs: > 31bit version -> 11500 (11000$) per processor/engine! > 64bit version -> 14500 (14000$) per processor/engine! > > Thats not the philosophie of Linux. > I think they have to make their distribution avaiable for free download!
The free software parts of it have to give you the source and the rights to redistribute and modify those bits if you have the binaries. There is no obligation for free download of their changes in general either - just that they supply them to anyone who gets a copy (and can then give it to anyone else) So one person can buy a copy of SuSE, remove the proprietary bits like YAST and do what they like with the free software parts. Mixed free and proprietary software can be an insidious way to appear open but keep customers locked down somewhat, this is also why so many of us strongly dislike the IBM OCO modules. In a monopoly hardware enviroment like S/390 it gets quite tricky. SuSE I suspect are concerned that if they just sold the release without support then IBM would top load half of the real support cost onto the new install cost of the hardware and undercut them savagely at what is the actual value part of their work - the support side. Alan
