From: Chris Mauritz chrism@imntv.com

If this was going to be a 100 unit/day or 1000 unit/day affair, I'd agree with you, but it simply isn't. One or two people with cheap CD and DVD duplicators, a paypal merchant account, and some time on their hands is probably still overkill for the volume of sales, especially when the product is available for free to anyone with a broadband connection and a burner.

Capacity planning. It's better to make only $500 and miss out on $1,000 than to have orders of $10,000 and only be able to service $2,500.

No, not really. What this says to me is that the CentOS team is doing all the labour and some unecessary middleman is skimming the cream off the top. Wouldn't you like to see the CentOS project receive more of a share of the take for doing most of the work? I would.

No, CentOS is focusing on what it does best and tapping others to do what they do best.

But as someone else pointed out, form a CD/DVD duplication reseller and make a better offer and CentOS will likely take you up on it!

Spare me the condescending remarks. You knew what I meant.

You mega-oversimplified, so no I did not. It's one thing to volunteer, that's great. In fact, at first, I thought that's what you were doing.

But then you started to post all these things that just were like a "slap in face." Looking from the viewpoint of those CentOS managers who "put the time" and, more importantly, the _detail_ in on this, you showed you didn't have the faintest idea of what was involved.

Again, as someone else pointed out, form a CD/DVD duplication reseller and make a better offer and CentOS will likely take you up on it! In fact, although there are the "minimal requirements" of $1/set under this plan, there's _nothing_ stopping different CD/DVD duplication resellers from playing a game of "one-up-manship" to gain the title of "highest proceeds" to CentOS.

So instead of being so negative on what the leaders of this project have done so far, from a standpoint that was rather "shallow," why not be constructive and go ahead and offer to be a CD/DVD duplication reseller! The terms of the program are there -- go for it! You're open to it! ;->

Looking back at the volume in the "demonizing" thread, I think I don't have nearly the same amount of free time to spend jousting about something so trivial in this mailing list with you. You're obviously a very opinionated guy

Oh, very, very much so. I am extremely opinionated. As far as "free time," I write for part of my living, and much of it comes from discussions on boards like this. As far as my "day job," it's largely 8x5, one advantage of being a traveling consultant that does more "architecture/design" than "analysis/support."

and often full of very sage advice to go along with the voluminous opinion.

Opinion to one is experience to another. I have _no_problem_ taking years to gain the trust of people. I think credentials don't mean squat, and trust comes from hearing people say things and finding out if they are applicable and useful over time. Again, even years.

But I found this reply to be more than a bit obnoxious.

As did I your "volunteering." It's one thing to honestly "volunteer." It's another to belittle the initiative of the managers of this project who obviously took far more time, attention to detail and actually work to get the program going.

There is no reason why you can't "volunteer" under this program by becoming a CD/DVD reseller yourself, under the same terms as any other. If you honestly believe you can do it better and cheaper than the current vendors who are signed up, then please do! We would all benefit if you did.

That's all I was saying. And yes, I did berrate much of what you said for the reason I just explained.

The point of my message is that it seems like the CentOS guys are doing all the heavy lifting and companies that (at least to me) add very little value are taking the lion's share of the revenue for these CD/DVD sets.

As are arm-chair users who don't take the time to understand the details involved on things like this. I have taken what at least one other has said and re-gurgitated what you _can_ do under the program's terms that does _exactly_ what you want to do. So I suggest you consider becoming a CD/DVD duplicator/reseller yourself then.

BTW, I might not be involved with CentOS, but I'm trying to do my (small/ too-small-to-even-speak-of) part on Fedora, which affects both RHEL and CentOS. And I can fully appreciate all of what the CentOS project does.

-- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org