[mythtv-users] selling hardware

[Alex Davidson]

I had also toyed with suggesting a licensing scheme (if I ever manage to get my own test system working and eventually get a business built around the same concept) but I'd also thought that maybe the core developers could be paid on a contract basis to work on such demanding things as fixing the EPG when Zap2It changed their schema/shuts their doors and other such disastrous events that would otherwise render Myth useless or at a serious disadvantage.  Let's face it, without an EPG it becomes far less attractive so there's incentive for a supplier to get such things worked out ASAP and an incentive for the core developers to be paid for their hard work.
Certainly something to ponder I think.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Edward Wildgoose 
  To: ramon.roca at xcombo.com ; Discussion about mythtv 
  Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2003 2:42 PM
  Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] selling hardware


  I think this is a great idea.  

  However, I think that if you wanted to build a *business* then a really great forward would be to try and build into the price some slack to either "pay" developers for new feature requests, or perhaps just to effectively offer a "licence" cost back to help fund future developments.  There is obviously no *obligation* to do this, but I would like to think that we can give something back to Isaac and the other developers who have contributed to this great project

  Good luck!
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: ramon.roca at xcombo.com 
    To: Discussion about mythtv 
    Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2003 7:15 PM
    Subject: [mythtv-users] selling hardware


    I've already seen a post with this subject before. 

    The fact is that in the very last days weeks, as soon as I've got my box working, I'm getting friends who ask me for bulding another one for them. At this point I've already built half dozen of units, you can imagine, no free time since that.
    That is giving me a lot of work since right now I was still not able to create a linux image with everything and then just dump it on the new hardware. But hopefully I'll be able to do it in the near future.
    What I'm configuring currently is a box with a full featured linux (I've tried with RedHat and SuSE), with a Pinnacle PCTV pro, Hauppauge Nexus-s for Satellite TV, MSI Hermes 650-P barebone box, a wireless PCMCIA to get networked, a 1700 Celeron and a 80GB HDF. I'm curretly using both mythtv (CVS) and vdr (which means many overlaped functionality).

    What happens here (Spain) is that there is nothing like TiVo (yet), and the ones that will come in the future looks like will be related to commercial broadcasting platforms/initiatives that in any case will be based on commercial software and a monthly fee.

    What I see is that this kind of set-top box is really attractive, but for any people who don't have previous experience in linux (like me three months before), requires time and investigation to let it work, as well of risks having to choose the appropiate hardware etc. At least that was my experience.

    Since I'm really excited on this idea, and as long as it fits into my possibilities, I don't care of spending time building those boxes. I think that it is a way also for extending the use of linux to people who otherwise will not have ever a chance for it.

    Being realistic, that's not a business. I'm not a harware dealer. In fact I'm selling those units installed, with a lot of time spent on each one without extra cost for the buyer: the software is GNU and the hardware, whatever it costs. At this point I do only see a testimonial return as soon as I get discounts from the hardware distributors (5%, max 10%).

    But again, I think that doing this I'm doing the right thing and contributing to this king of projects and the linux community. 

    If someone else is also interested on doing this, maybe we can setup together a serious inititiative around the globe (I haven't seen in Spain people doing this yet). Maybe someone else is already in the same situation like me. Let me know if anyone is interested.

    Ramon.






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