Mark, I guess you're right about getting support if Linux goes into production. Like I said in another post today, I'm new to Linux and learning. I may say I will do one thing, and an hour later change my mind. This list is really helping me.
My last question was very poorly worded. I meant to ask are current fixes and updates available from the RedHat web site for download, and current versions of Linux. Eric >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 02/21/03 08:37AM >>> Eric, Are you seriously considering (eventually) putting Linux/390 into production without a support contract in place? I personally would never do that, nor would I ever recommend anyone else do that. If all you want to do is evaluate, test, and perhaps set up a pilot, then you can get a copy of SuSE, direct from SuSE, for that purpose, for 0$. If you want maintenance during the trial, then it's $500 (at last report). You can also download Red Hat, or Debian, or whatever. (I've been working on porting Slackware to S/390, just for grins.) Once you decide to go into production, though, I imagine your management will want to know you've got support lined up, and that's going to cost you money, no matter which distribution you've selected. Even if it's Debian. Sure, the Debian community is very good at supporting the distribution, but is your management going to rely on that for a production installation? There are people/companies that provide commercial support for Debian, and they like to get paid for that. :) English-speaking people often get confused about the term" free software," hence the phrase that's sprung up around it: "Free as in freedom, not free beer." If you want to keep having Linux and Linux/390 available, the companies that provide it need to stay in business somehow. Pick the one you like best, for what ever reasons you use, and pay them something for their work. Mark Post P.S., I didn't understand the question about getting Red Hat support without buying support. It seemed kind of contradictory. -----Original Message----- From: Eric Bielefeld [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 9:09 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: so correct me if I am wrong I've been debating with myself whether I want to get a package, or download a package. This and other comments lead me to believe I'm better off staying away from SuSE. I had a discussion with my boss a few days ago about the cost of Linux. If you get VM, which I can see a real value in, that's $45K. Then, if you pay 10K or so for support every year, the free Linux isn't so cheap. Granted, that's a lot less than we spend for z/OS and all its related products, but for free software, there is still a substantial cost.. Is it easy to get RedHat support without buying support? Eric Bielefeld Sr. MVS Systems Programmer P&H Mining Equipment Milwaukee, WI 414-671-7849 [EMAIL PROTECTED] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This electronic mail transmission contains information from P & H Mining Equipment which is confidential, and is intended only for the use of the proper addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately at the return address on this transmission, or by telephone at (414) 671-4400, and delete this message and any attachments from your system. Unauthorized use, copying, disclosing, distributing, or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this transmission is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
