From: ronb02NOSPAM@gmail.com   
      
   On 2026-01-29, rbowman  wrote:   
   > On Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:23:57 -0000 (UTC), RonB wrote:   
   >   
   >> This was back before high speed Internet was everywhere. The CDs were a   
   >> great idea.   
   >   
   > I wish I could remember the name of the company but it didn't sound like   
   > it had anything to do with computers let alone Linux, For $7 they would   
   > send you a CD of any distro you wanted.   
   >   
   > I could picture the operation since I'd bought a Compaq laptop from 4G's   
   > Plumbing. The owner was interested in computers and that was his little   
   > sideline when he wasn't unclogging drains.   
   >   
   > 'Free' CDs were the great idea.   
   >   
   > https://archive.org/details/mandrake-7.2-power-pack   
   >   
   > 7.2 was released in September 2000. iirc the price was around $40, not the   
   > $2 tag sale price. SUSE and others also had shrink wrapped offerings like   
   > any other software being distributed in the late '90s early 2000s. The   
   > experience was a little slicker than a CD from the back of a magazine and   
   > they were readily available at BestBuy, FutureShoppe, circuit City, etc.   
   >   
   > But FREE as in beer? Oh yeah!   
      
   I bought SuSE from Best Buy. Corel Linux from (I believe) CompUSA. And   
   Caldera a couple times from... I can't remember where for sure, but I think   
   it was at the computer stores that used to be in Barnes & Noble... Software   
   Etc. I also bought books that had Fedora and Red Hat CDs included. And there   
   was another commercial Linux distribution — can't remember its name — but   
   it's the one that had to change its name because it was too close to   
   Windows. I'm sure there were some others that I can't remember.   
      
   --   
   "Not just insane... Trump insane."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)