hello friends, I want ask one question out of curiousity that it i said linux is free. We can get Red Hat Linux 8.0 or other versions/flavours free of cost. We can download any software free of cost as they all r under GPL/GNU. how these organizations like Red Hat and other who r providing us with linux OS r making earnings. I m sure they r not doing social service. actually i want to prepare seminar on why linux where i want basically compare linux and windows thanks shahzin

Correct, the software for Redhat and most other Linux distributions is free. Redhat and SUSE (now owned by Novell) make money from providing service and support for their products. This is something that the Enterprise pays for and uses, not home users. Mandrake makes money (or is trying to make money) by use of Mandrake club. Club members are people who happily pay to support further development of Mandrake Linux and at the same time they get special privilages like updates, extra software, etc. A few distributions, like Lindows, are not free at all. look at www.distrowatch.com

There is always a little money to be made from distro sales in shops too.

...but I guess it isnt working because now at least mandrakesoft is bankrupt. http://www.salmar.com/pipermail/wftl-lug/2003-January/001779.html

...they are still going though and have released two more versions since (v9.1 and v9.2).

Mandrake filed for bankruptcy a long time ago. It was the 'renegotiate with creditors' type. Not the 'I'm out' type. i.e. they are still in business. Many companies that exist today have done that, including Worldcom (MCI), Xerox and K-mart to name a few

mandrake now has corporate partners like hp so they are doing good now. and hey, mandrakeclub is not the only (or even primary) source of income of mandrake. like red hat, they also have "enterprise" linux too that are not free and their server os is selling pretty good and let us not forget that hp are shipping their product with mandrake installed in it.