Should I feel ethically compelled to keep it?

[Deja Q]

I had gone to best buy 27 days ago. Using the moeny I got back from a product replacement plan, I'd bought a hardware firewall and SuSE Linux 9. (keep in mind that a month prior to this, I bought a DVD copy for $13.)

27 days ago, they had 5 copies.

Today they were down to 2. Also note, Red Hat Linux (both archaic version 7.2 and newer 9.0 releases) had vanished. I think they shipped some of the stuff back to the manufacturers or warehouse or recycle bin...

If I return it, they may not carry 9.1 when it comes out and I do hate ordering from the internet...

(I also noticed CompUSA, when SuSE 9 came out, had 12 copies. Two months later, I noticed they'd all gone. I talked with a sales chap and he said they'd just shipped a bunch of boxes back to their distributor.)

Also note, an article several months ago said that Best Buy would carry StarOffice 7 in their stores (I'm happy with 6.0; though version 7 is faster and adds PDF export support, they took away other features...). To date, they haven't been selling it at all. It's a mecca of microsoft over there. :-(

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. I don't get it

Is the idea that you don't want it anymore?

Or that they might be shipping copies of SUSE Linux 9 back to the dealers, so you're afraid that there's a new version coming soon? Or that it won't be supported? Did the manufacturer go out of business?

What did you buy on a $13 DVD? it appears it was SUSE Linux 9. Why would you buy it again?

And what does StarOffice have to do with any of your ethical dilemma?

Why would you take SUSE 9 back if you wanted it?

What is the ethical dilemma?

You are very unclear in your post.

[Deja Q]

2. Sorry...

The DVD I got deprives SuSE (Novell) of the time and money they spent into making it. If SuSE doesn't make the sale, they won't make and release new versions. I bought a legit copy for the benefit of SuSE. For the DVD I bought was just a duplicate of a genuine SuSE disc, with no modifications of any sort. That just didn't seem right.

And that is related to the dilemma. If Best Buy doesn't see Linux (SuSE or otherwise but I prefer SuSE) as profitable, they won't sell it in the future. I also bought it in support of being able to buy a Linux distro locally.

I prefer buying locally to online, for security reasons.

I'd rather buy from CompUSA because they do sell StarOffice and seem to support choice (they support Macs too, best buy doesn't... not that I care for Macs, but at least CompUSA is cool enough to support as much choice as can be found for consumer computers). But they didn't have SuSE Linux 9 in that day, and the 'money' I had from Best Buy was really a store voucher, so I couldn't have used it in another store anyway...

I'm just vainly hoping Best Buy will start catering a bit more to the geeks...

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Okay, I think I understand

You bought an illegal copy SUSE 9 from <someone>

You then bought a legitimate copy from Best Buy. You would prefer to have bought one from CompUSA, but you had a store voucher for Best Buy, PLUS CompUSA didn't have SUSE 9 anyway.

You want to support SUSE, and by buying a legitimate copy you are, thence, voting for SUSE, and offering money to the company so they will produce more, and also announcing to Best Buy that, if they carry SUSE in the future, you will continue to buy it.

And you still have an ethical dilemma with whether you should return a legal copy and just go with the illegal one? :spank:

[Madrone]

3. Don't worry about StarOffice -

(by the way, I agree about the lack of dillema clarity)

scrap it, and d/l Open Office 1.1 - damned near the same thing, AND PDF support. And FREE.

As for the SUSE thing - if I understand correctly you are afraid they won't carry the newer version, which is why you are thinking about returning it - because a new version may be coming out?

Hmm... can you ask if they have a new shipment in? And why not download that too? You can always send them some monetary support online after you d/l it...


edited to add: I get cha now re: showing support for linux from retailers.

[Deja Q]

4. Ah... StarOffice 7 is merely OpenOffice + a database program

and a bunch of clipart and other sundry items. Still, the money goes to Sun, who'd be more readily willing to make new versions.

SuSE doesn't offer downloads of the full product... Even if they did the Mandrake thing and release a version that was free but was chock full of web-based or other ad popup processes, I'd rather pay for it. I hate ads...

And the next new version won't be out until May, maybe late April. It's usually a 6 month cycle and SuSE 9.0 came out in early November. I always wait to hear what a new version has before trying it, though it's not always possible to hear what could be wrong. (there was a 3D video driver issue between nvidia cards and SuSE 9, but that was taken care of when nvidia released an updated video driver a couple months back...)

Hmmm... May isn't too far ahead...