Business -1: Linux flavours

The power of Linux comes from its adaptability (to the will of the system administrator). That's what Windows and MacOS X cannot offer. Instead, they offer a one-size-fits-all solution. Linux, on the other hand, offers a multitude of distros (cf DistroWatch http://distrowatch.com/)

The problem is that it takes a long time and/or a lot of experience to achieve the customization of Linux needed for one's evolving needs, let alone a whole society's. If we want the Linux userbase to grow, all users shouldn't be required to be system administrators.

With the advent of computers of all sizes (from smart phone to desktop), each computer has now a specific role it plays for the individual. For example, in our home, we use the following computers:

• Personal laptop x 2
• Media player (connected to home theater)
• NAS server
• Casual browsing laptop
• No smart phone or pads yet :-)

And that's not a lot.

What I propose is to create Linux distros based on specific usage scenarios that are market-driven and adapted to some market segment needs: media playing, home managing, music making, web development, etc. For each need, specific requirements are at play, from the UX to the pre-installed applications.

The way to monetize this is unfortunately out of my realm, otherwise I wouldn't be running this blog out of dyndns.org. The obvious way would be to charge a price for each flavour based on a perceived value by the intended market. If not possible, make it free but inject "value-added" services that are related to the distro: Amazon affiliation for online media sales, ReverbNation for musicians, etc.