G'day, mates! (I'm not Australian, I'm just making a pun.)
So I was thinking, wouldn't it be cool to have a boxed release of Ubuntu MATE with an install DVD or USB, manual, and other goodies for collectors to support the OS?
Windows 11 has a physical release, so why can't other OSes do the same? There are people selling pre-burned linux CDs, but none of them offer a boxed version like in the old days. I think it would be cool to offer a physical collectors edition in a big box, complete with a DVD or USB, some stickers, a case badge, a manual, or other such goodies.
Basically, I want to put Ubuntu MATE on my shelf. But would this actually be a thing in the future?
Well maybe for some special editions like 25th or some round number of years anniversary it would me a nice collectors item but it doesn't seem to have any practical value
These days it's a struggle to find a device that has a CD port so USB might be the only sensible approach and even then you would have problems with bureaucracy and different countries and taxing on the products and stuff (Value-added tax is a thing in EU) so digital versions are just cheaper options and you actually get OS free of charge
Also - who would dictate the price of an open-source project like this - Canonical? Various Ubuntu forum moderators? What would the price be and how would it be profitable for a community as a whole are all valid questions
In the past people bought those CDs because of bandwidth connection speeds (downloading a single song was a hustle back then in early 2000s even)
On DVD they offer live disks and install disks. Ubuntu Mate is only offered as a live disk. It comes with a manual but you can also buy one if you need just that. It does not mention anything about packaging.
I like the idea of boxed copies, but in today's economy and shipping fees I bet it's just not as profitable (and quite time consuming!)... unless it was a limited 'gold' edition or something. Maybe it'll work if we rented out a local factory for mass production (not really, that's a joke)
If you're feeling creative, you could create a one of the kind box using the resources