re: Re: GPL

When you get SuSE in a magazine, it is usually either the "live CD",
that like Knoppix runs directly from CD and does not install, or a
version that has been stripped a lot to one CD.

You cannot download CD images for SuSE, but you can download a boot
floppy and use it to install through FTP or NFS, using a mirror in
your area. SuSE thinks this lowers the required server bandwidth.
In general, they are right. But to install several copies: It is
easier to clone an install CD than to set up a local mirror, I think.

Mandrake usually has reduced versions (e.g. 3 CD images) online as
images. And of course the parts, too.

For some REALLY big choice of Linux CDs to download, try www.linuxiso.org
- you can also find Knoppix there.

About Debian: Once you got apt configured, apt-get install joe
to download, install and configure joe is pretty cool. But the
dpkg/dselect menu system is very user-unfriendly, I think. I
prefer the SuSE / Mandrake idea of having a tree of packages
where you can select leaves or the-default-for-a-whole-branch
or something like this. And SuSE and RedHat have an easy to use
network update interface by now, too. Not sure about Mandrake,
and never actually tried either of the other two, but SuSE YOU
definitely exists :-).

Eric

PS: The GPL trick part is that you can copy the CDs and install as many
PCs as you want - BUT the installation / configuration wizards have
another license that prohibits SELLING your own distro that contains them.
See the GNU license comparison chart, item "YaST"...
And of course you may want to BUY the distro anyway, otherwise you have
to print some large PDF files to have a copy of the handbooks. And you do
not get free installation support if you did not buy the distro. At least
this is the idea for SuSE. If you are a student or work at a
school or university, you can get the PRO version at the price
of the HOME (or "personal") version, but with less support.

Eric