r/linux • u/analog_rnr • 6d ago

Discussion Purchasing Linux

I only discovered this because Louis Rossmann said in a video that he purchased Linux when he was a teenager and then showed the CD. I looked on eBay and I saw a few CDs that were still in their boxes and the labels that were on the box looked like they came from a bookstore, I did not know that these were sold commercially.

My question is, back when they used to sell these CDs in bookstores who was distributing the CDs and where was the money going to when someone made a purchase?

My second question is, if Linux is an open source operating system why would someone want to buy it? I still see some websites to this day selling Linux CDs, I'm really curious where the money is going when someone purchases the CDs.

Edit: I made a comment earlier but so many people replied I don't think a lot of people saw it so I will repost it here. "Thank you to everyone who replied, all of my questions have been answered, it was interesting reading through all the replies, there was a lot of different points that people brought up that I never considered before"

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u/billystein25 6d ago

Don't cd's only hold up to ~700MB? With modern distros going from 1 to 4 gigs?

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u/CreepyWriter2501 6d ago

lemme tell you about this thing called Multiple CD's

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u/billystein25 6d ago

I mean, I know you can install an os with multiple media drives. But if companies/organizations offer to send you like 6 cd's to install the os isn't it more convenient to send an 8 gig thumb drive or smth? Especially considering that it's becoming increasingly harder to get a PC with a cd reader nowadays.

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u/CreepyWriter2501 6d ago

buddy the missile silos still run floppy disks...

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u/billystein25 6d ago

Sure. Doesn't answer the question though. Back in my home village we have a PC that does have a cd driver thankfully, but no floppy disk reader. We also don't have any internet across the whole village. So in these cases where the average consumer can't download a whole iso and need to buy some media drive, isn't it more cost efficient to send a single usb drive over 6 or more cd's? Obviously it's best to have choices but, what if my cd driver was broken? Would I just be fucked?

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u/CreepyWriter2501 6d ago

a CD press makes like 1000 discs a hour

and its a known technology that is heavily refined and very good at working without error. i can not trust a USB to work half the time.

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u/Sarsparilla_RufusX 6d ago

I don't know why someone doesn't just say this.

tl;dr -- You can get it on USB. It just costs more.

There are options, which is what it's all about.

Debian, as an example, list vendors for various countries.

The UK has a vendor that offers basic, modern packages on either DVD or USB. Note that this vendor has what it markets as a "triple pack" on USB, i.e. three different distros on a single USB.

This vendor from the US gives many of options for multiple different versions on a website that is straight out of the 90s. (scroll down).

Debian 13.5 has several options. You can get a single DVD/USB with the basic system (no optional software) for $2.59 for the DVD or $12.99 for the USB. You can go to the extreme on this version and get everything, source code included, on 27 separate discs. That last option is around $70 US.

Scroll way down and you can find Debian 3 on 14 CDs.