The Dink Network

Me and a friend are about to start a business that will have two products. One is CDs with freeware or Linux burnt on them. They will sell for NZ$1 per disk plus delivery costs. The other, which is the main one, is a customisable digital computer magazine. It will have about 30 core pages as well as about 20 optional pages. The core pages will cost a NZ$1.50 with optional pages costing NZ$0.10 per page.

So anyway the point is, what sort of things would you like to see on the disks and in the magazine?

One pseudo-word: pr0n.

*Kinky, if possible.

You do realize it's kind of illegal to do such things? Not that the law ever prevented me from doing something, but if you're about to start a business, you might want to be sure you're not doing anything foolish.

I don't get it. What part of his idea is illegal, exactly?

That's depending on whether or not you view his product as the software on the disk or the disk itself. There's absolutely nothing wrong with selling digital media containing, really, anything. And since anything on the CD's will be open-source or freeware, it would be very difficult to prosecute for copyright infringement, piracy, etc. Also, it's kind of a service to have these things on a CD for the people who don't have broadband access and can't download 400mb files as quickly as the rest of us. I'd be pretty happy if some of my freeware software was sold this way. People would use the freeware version and be encouraged to step up and buy my products that aren't freeware. And, Linux could gain a lot of support through this. It's a hand-in-hand, mutualistic relationship. Besides, $1 isn't much

I want to provide people with Open Source software. That is perfectly legal.

That's depending on whether or not you view his product as the software on the disk or the disk itself. There's absolutely nothing wrong with selling digital media containing, really, anything. And since anything on the CD's will be open-source or freeware, it would be very difficult to prosecute for copyright infringement, piracy, etc. Also, it's kind of a service to have these things on a CD for the people who don't have broadband access and can't download 400mb files as quickly as the rest of us. I'd be pretty happy if some of my freeware software was sold this way. People would use the freeware version and be encouraged to step up and buy my products that aren't freeware. And, Linux could gain a lot of support through this. It's a hand-in-hand, mutualistic relationship. Besides, $1 isn't much.

You've got it all correct. I know freeware Linux developer not just love people selling copies of their OS, but actively encourage it, as it gains them popularity. Linux sells here in New Zealand for $5 a disk. We're offering $1 a disk so we're drastically undercutting our competitors.

Open Office.org also encourages this. OpenOffice disks here are $5 or $10 (I can't recall which). We're offering $1 for a disk with OpenOffice and any other software the buyer wants (the software on the disks will be on a by request basis). So again we're drastically undercutting our competitors.

And while our magazine may be small we are selling it for way less than our print copy competitors. And as soon as we get enough buyers we'll be offering a printed version for those that want it. oh, and it'll be G-rated so no adult content.

Also subscribers to the magazine and regular disk buyers will get access to premium content on the website (content yet to be decided).

Now that I've clarified that we're not in breach of any law since we'll only be offering content that is legal for us to provide, can we please get back to suggestions. And please only serious ones. please no joke ones, such as adult content.

Sorry, my bad. I thought making profit out off freeware was illegal. Carry on, then.

I think it's only illegal if you sell the binary version, with no refrenece included. As in, we will sell you this version of openoffice.org called *Office for only 15$ and you can download it here, etc, etc.

I think that happend once, w/ openoffice.

Sorry, my bad. I thought making profit out off freeware was illegal. Carry on, then.

Well, Christiaan, it depends on what each individual company/lincence says. However, most permit it as an incentive to get people to sell the disks. They realise that if people can only make back cost they are most likely to not to sell it.

We're also doing a customisable entertainment magazine. It'll cover books, movies, DVDs, the d20 System, and will occasionally cover trading/collectable card games.

NEW: Also I got it wrong. it's only NZ$0.05 per additional page.

The content of the entertainment magazine is now goging in a section of the computer magazine called Time Out instead of being a seperate magazine. And the magazine has increased to NZ$2.50. However it has increased from being 30 pages of core material to 50 pages of core material. There are so far ideas for upto 20 optional pages.