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Date: Sat, 8 Jun 1996 17:52:23 -0500 (CDT)
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From: Alex Nash <alex@zen.nash.org>
To: mrcpu@cdsnet.net
Cc: pst@shockwave.com, chris@usa.nai.net, freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.org
Subject: What about... was: Re: -Stable, credit card donations to FreeBSD, Inc.
Reply-to: alex@FreeBSD.org
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[ Removed freebsd-current from Cc list ]

> I think Paul's analysis vastly oversimplifies the issue.  Anybody could
> take  a CD, and offer it at a cheaper price.  Doesn't mean they'll sell
> enough of them to dent walnut creek.
>
> Perhaps WC could stick a sticker on the box that says "Some amount of
> money from this sale goes to furthering development".
> 
> Or a higher-priced subscription plan.

I think Paul hit the nail on the head.  There are other games in town,
not all of them called FreeBSD (one was recently referred to as Unix A
on -hackers).  Newbies who don't understand the difference between
"Unix A" and FreeBSD will end up using Unix A because they can pick it
up on CD for $5 (or whatever the sale-of-the-week price is on Unix A).

> Or how about selling access to an "exclusive" mailing list, that is shared
> with the developers?

I would hate to see FreeBSD users split up into economic classes.  
Recently, someone posted to comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc asking if anyone
could copy the WC CD for her.  Apparently she was a college student that
wanted to try FreeBSD, but couldn't afford the $40 asking price.

> The bean-counters here have a hard time with "donation", but wouldn't
> blink 2x if it was called a "support list", or whatever.

Sad, but very true :(

Alex