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  3. Do I need to pay to download this?

Do I need to pay to download this?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Linux
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  • ? Offline
    ? Offline
    Guest
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    I'm a bit confused, I thought Linux was free.

    vort3@lemmy.mlV ? tabular@lemmy.worldT N A 5 Replies Last reply
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    • ? Guest

      I'm a bit confused, I thought Linux was free.

      vort3@lemmy.mlV This user is from outside of this forum
      vort3@lemmy.mlV This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      Can you press "custom" and enter 0?

      lnxtx@feddit.nlL 1 Reply Last reply
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      • ? Guest

        I'm a bit confused, I thought Linux was free.

        ? Offline
        ? Offline
        Guest
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        It can be free, but people creating a distro can ask for money.
        Mostly it's free tho, and you probably can enter a custom amount of 0.

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        • ? Guest

          I'm a bit confused, I thought Linux was free.

          tabular@lemmy.worldT This user is from outside of this forum
          tabular@lemmy.worldT This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          As long as you follow the GPL license you can redistribute it, for free or at cost. Linux is free as in freedom and usually free as in free beer.

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          • tabular@lemmy.worldT [email protected]

            As long as you follow the GPL license you can redistribute it, for free or at cost. Linux is free as in freedom and usually free as in free beer.

            X This user is from outside of this forum
            X This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Typically the GPL covers the source code. Compiled, packaged and branded binaries can be licensed separately.

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            • ? Guest

              I'm a bit confused, I thought Linux was free.

              N This user is from outside of this forum
              N This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              The short answer is, it is free - they're asking for a contribution but most people would enter a custom amount of $0.

              There's a longer answer about what free means in different contexts and how that pertains to opensource, and a longer answer about how "free" things have led us to the internet we have today, but I don't think you're asking about either of those things.

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              • ? Guest

                I'm a bit confused, I thought Linux was free.

                A This user is from outside of this forum
                A This user is from outside of this forum
                [email protected]
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                You don't. Even if you're happy to support the developers of the software you use (which is great!), I think it makes more sense to download and give it the spin first, then donate later.

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                • vort3@lemmy.mlV [email protected]

                  Can you press "custom" and enter 0?

                  lnxtx@feddit.nlL This user is from outside of this forum
                  lnxtx@feddit.nlL This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  That's the thing.

                  Also magnet link if you want.

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                  • X [email protected]

                    Typically the GPL covers the source code. Compiled, packaged and branded binaries can be licensed separately.

                    F This user is from outside of this forum
                    F This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    This is not correct.

                    If you compile GPL licensed code and distribute the binaries, you are still obligated to make that source available under the same license, with your changes.

                    In the case of GPL, but not all open source licenses, this even applies if you link to (compile with) the GPL code from your own. The MIT license on the other hand, comes with almost no obligations.

                    What RedHat and others do is add support, services, and their own proprietary programs on top of the open source. The open source parts of that distro is and always will be free as in both beer and speech.

                    The non-free packages are often distributed via separate repositories to make the distinction clear.

                    That is just one way to fund open source software and is sometimes referred to as the RedHat model.

                    What OP is asking about is the donation model to fund software. You're not required to donate, but if you enjoy the software and you can afford it, then there is your opportunity to give back.

                    As someone else pointed out, hosting and bandwidth isn't free, so it's important for these projects to find some revenue stream to pay for that.

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