Make My OS Based On Debian?

[alan stone]

Can you sell a modified Debian OS and have people pay for Licensing?

Read as: Can you sell a modified Debian OS and pray people pay for Licensing?

[pawRoot]

Well I am in this for the long haul and will probably be hiring programmers eventually at some point.

And you will be able to spend for example 15-20k euro monthly for those programmers ? pay for servers, marketing etc.

be serious...

[Lysander]

Right Yes, it is definitely NOT work for 1 person at all I realize this.

Well, that already puts you ahead of Ikey Doherty.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Can you sell a modified Debian OS and have people pay

Yes, the GPL allows you to sell the software but it also allows the people to whom you sell the software the right to copy and distribute it freely to anybody they want

You also _must_ supply any and all source code upon request.

For more, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/

[Wheelerof4te]

I'll treat this as another "help" thread.

From the sound of it, you are one multi-millionaire who wants to hire a bunch of good programmers, writers, designers, PR people, journalists in order to make your own OS...which would be based on Debian. Either that, or you are trolling everyone here. Either that, or you are just dellusional. So I'm going to assume you are a multi-millionaire.

Basically, what you want to achieve is to be new Mark Shuttleworth, but to go one step further and sell your OS for money. Let me tell you this right from the bat, if Mark hasn't been that ambitious to sell Ubuntu (he even gave the CDs for free back in the day), why would you be? What will your OS contain which isn't already included in Ubuntu or Debian? As for installing software "a la Windows style", we currently have Flatpaks, Snaps and AppImages that try to do exactly that. So take your pick.

Maintaining, not to mention creating from scratch, a distribution the size of Debian is a trumendous task. Entire global community of developers is behind Debian. But if you insist on creating your dream OS, try to start small. Contribute to open-source and learn why it matters. Don't be a prick who steals other people's work.

[RT77]

You need to ask a lawyer if you want legal advice. That is beyond the scope of this forum.
Not counting the moral side of it, but it is clear you don't have morals. In a nut shell , you are asking us to help you abuse the work of others , whom work hard to provide a good reliable OS, and free, and open source, you want to take that, butcher it and make it more like your beloved MS windows, and closed source, .... this thread makes me sick.

by RT77 » Many times I install linux and it just looks like a pieced together train-wreck to me lol.

If you don't like Linux, don't use it, If you don't like Debian, then don't use it, and we really don't need more trolls on this forum.
The OP makes me sick. I have nothing nice to say about this so guess that is all from me. Please,

Hey man calm down, you are assuming these things.. no morals? What the heck? Don't attack me when you have no idea what it is I am trying to do. I have not asked anyone here to help me abuse the rights of others in any way shape of form, you need to relax. I did not say I want to make the whole OS closed source, I said only certain parts for example, If I hire programmers to create a program from scratch, yes I may want that 1 program closed source.. and that is only a maybe. I am not a troll I am a business person who has many ideas and goals in this life. You are the troll coming out to attack someone for no good reason. I love Linux and in fact am trying to make my own Linux OS so I can switch myself and others from Corporations like Microsoft who are greed driven and spy on their users for advertising and profits.

[RT77]

Well I am in this for the long haul and will probably be hiring programmers eventually at some point.

And you will be able to spend for example 15-20k euro monthly for those programmers ? pay for servers, marketing etc.

be serious...

I am serious and that is my business what I choose to do and how I choose to do it. Not trying to be unfriendly but Gee Wiz..

[RT77]

I'll treat this as another "help" thread.

From the sound of it, you are one multi-millionaire who wants to hire a bunch of good programmers, writers, designers, PR people, journalists in order to make your own OS...which would be based on Debian. Either that, or you are trolling everyone here. Either that, or you are just dellusional. So I'm going to assume you are a multi-millionaire.

Basically, what you want to achieve is to be new Mark Shuttleworth, but to go one step further and sell your OS for money. Let me tell you this right from the bat, if Mark hasn't been that ambitious to sell Ubuntu (he even gave the CDs for free back in the day), why would you be? What will your OS contain which isn't already included in Ubuntu or Debian? As for installing software "a la Windows style", we currently have Flatpaks, Snaps and AppImages that try to do exactly that. So take your pick.

Maintaining, not to mention creating from scratch, a distribution the size of Debian is a trumendous task. Entire global community of developers is behind Debian. But if you insist on creating your dream OS, try to start small. Contribute to open-source and learn why it matters. Don't be a prick who steals other people's work.

I appreciate the responses, but wow you guys are a hard crowd here, my intention is not to rip anyone off, I am not delusional, many people make their own Linux Distro I just want to make my own as well. Nothing wrong with that right? Can we at least agree on that? Ok Lets say that I don't want to sell it then.. I just want to make a Linux OS my way.. the end. If it comes out really good hey maybe I can ask around and get some permissions from the owners of some programs I would like to have modified. If they say yes and that is ok then what is the problem with that? Nothing, exactly.. I have no intention of ripping anyone off so please relax..

[RT77]

True you will get little support from the open source side,including this forum, if you want to go commercial.
It has been done - RedHat has RHEL which costs money but they supply full tech support. Their source is used for the free CentOS and Scientific Linux. There is eLive which costs money to install and is little used. The only one I can think of which is moderately successful is PartedMagic which costs something like 5 bucks and is often pirated anyway.
You'll need to read the licences for whatever software you use. Much of the Linux ecosystem is GPL2 or 3, but some is Apache or BSD licensed and a few others.
Honestly I think you're wasting time trying to sell a commercial Linux OS.

I doubt that I am going to sell it but wanted to ask about it anyway..

[pawRoot]

Well I am in this for the long haul and will probably be hiring programmers eventually at some point.

And you will be able to spend for example 15-20k euro monthly for those programmers ? pay for servers, marketing etc.

be serious...

I am serious and that is my business what I choose to do and how I choose to do it. Not trying to be unfriendly but Gee Wiz..

Not trying to be unfriendly but you are living in dreams.
Hey i just got a business idea, i will start manufacturing cars, anyone know how to do it ?

[RT77]

Without Dreamers the world would be shit, uninspiring..
I don't see what the problem is? I have dreams and goals so what..

[RT77]

I am not trying to reinvent the wheel here and it has been done a million times by others all I ask is some support or at least to be friendly.

[GarryRicketson]

Postby RT77 » I just want to make a Linux OS my way.. the end.

That is fine, then "just do it". Talk is cheap, and that is all I see here.

Postby RT77 » all I ask is some support

This is where you are making your mistake, I can't speak for others, but if you want my support or help, then we do it MY WAY, not yours. Or as far as Debian in general, you want to get involved in the development, you work with a group, a group that started way back some time ago, and you do it "our way" (maybe I should say "their way" since I am not really involved in the developement of Debian that much. )
In your first posts, you describe what "your way", is.....
Here you say you will make it like "kodi",

Postby RT77 »Also I will want to change the way it does certain things, like how it will install software packages. The goal is to make my own OS that will be able to do regular stuff like internet browsing, text editing, audio recording, video editing, etc.. but also be able to have it kind of act like Kodi in that it can be used as an entertainment center.

Since I don't need or want a "entertainment center", we do it MY way, not yours, all I need is a good reliable base system I can use for both a work station, and server. Since I all ready have that, why would I want to do it, YOUR way ? It is not worth wasting the time.


And here is where you say "your way" is to make it like MS windows:

Postby RT77>> I would like to have a look something like windows to be honest I know it's rather cheesy to say but the menu always was so straight forward on that from windows 95 through windows 7.

Postby RT77>>I hope to crush that issue and make Linux more accessible to people in general.

Yea right, as if it (Linux) is not all ready accessible to people in general, "Our way", is fine, we have made it available , and accessible to people in general, and for free and as Open source, so yes you are free to modify it , and do what ever you want, to make it the way you want, "your way".

Debian has it's own way, "the Debian way", if you want help and support from Debian, then forget about doing it "your way", get with the program and do it the Debian way , (our way).

In a nut shell, I think, most of the Debian users here like Debian the way it is, all though obviously things all ways can improve, or should, so those that think they can help improve it, get involved with it's development.

[RT77]

Thanks Garry well it is really not worth arguing over this kind of stuff. I want to start a project therefore it will be done in a certain way or at least try to achieve certain goals for this project. The entertainment part of it. I think I am going to just stick with a solid OS and ditch that idea for now it has been done already with Kodi and others. My ideas are constantly changing.. until things seem to make more sense. I'm not perfect and sometimes a good idea in one moment now becomes a horrible idea, it happens.. No I do not want to make it like windows, what I meant it to come off as was a simple interface, no trendy app bars and widgets. Simple to read menu's.. that is what "like windows" means to me.. simple and not cluttered like today's desktops. Windows 8 comes to mind, what a nightmare that OS is.. Tiles? Whoever though of that I hope was fired. Anyways I am here to make friends not enemies.

[stevepusser]

The terms of open source licenses mean that you don't need permission from the original developers to change anything; some like the BSD license mean you can do anything you want without any restrictions, which is how the BSD networking stack ended up as a part of Windows NT. Most licenses (GPL, for example) require that you make your changes available to the public, though.

I'd first think to see if you're reinventing the wheel, though. There are distros out there that are easier for raw beginners than Debian, and I imagine you could set one up with Kodi and a quick launcher setup for your other favorite applications with very little work. XFCE is a simple, easy to use, yet customizable desktop that sounds like what you're wishing for.