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On Tue, 2004-02-03 at 17:29, der.hans wrote:
> Am 02. Feb, 2004 schw=E4tzte Derek Neighbors so:
>=20
> > That is my *point*!  With Debian I have freedom.  I get the software an=
d I
> > get to CHOOSE my support vendor.  With RHEL I have to pay for the suppo=
rt
> > in order to get the software.  At which point if I changed support vend=
ors
> > I would be DOUBLE paying for support.  I hope you can understand the
> > difference.
>=20
> What's to prevent the other support vendor from making the software
> unavailable?

I don't understand the question.  In the case of Debian, the software is
available w/o a vendor.  Only the support is supplied by the vendor.  At
which point if such a vendor started acting in ways I didn't like I have
the option to leave them for a better vendor.

> As for licensing, RH is trying to make sure the number of machines suppor=
ted
> is the same as the number for which support has been paid. RH wants a way=
 to
> prevent my purchasing 10 support contracts, then servicing 1000 machines.

I don't have a problem with that, but I think the mechanism they are
using to do so is not optimal. :)

> Do you have examples from other companies on how to manage that? I think
> it's an important part of the discussion.

Kind of.  For example in a service industry I worked, we didn't charge
for the software, we charged for the equivalent of "number of uses".  So
each time you "printed" for example there was a charge.  Don't ask it's
a strange industry.  We basically had people on the honor system for how
many installations they had, but then we "pulled billing files" for
quality counts.

I guess for me, why be the RIAA.  Why treat your customers like thieves
by default?  If I buy support for 10 machines.  I run 10 machines.  Why
go through licensing mechanisms to force me to prove it?

--=20
Derek Neighbors
GNU Enterprise
http://www.gnuenterprise.org
derek@gnue.org

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