> they'd really only be offering configuration and tech support services... I think you are severely undervaluing support and the logistics of running a busine

> they'd really only be offering configuration and tech support services... I think you are severely undervaluing support and the logistics of running a business. Support is, in fact, their strongest selling point. A new distro diminishes their offering (for me). We all understand that it's not something you toss together. It takes effort and as a buyer, I'd rather see that effort used for support, hardware testing, etc.. Selling hardware (even if it's rebadged), providing support, allowing returns, taking responsibility for key updates, multi-year warranties, etc... this, I think, is what most people are after in a vendor. Along with competitive pricing... We can all install Linux (or try to) on Windows laptops but many of us don't want to deal with the headaches if we encounter a problem. We just want it to work out of the box so we can get to work soon after opening the box. There's an awful lot of value to this. I can't help but think about Litebook (https://alpha.store/ https://alpha.store/) and the disaster it turned out to be during the entire process[0]. All of the failures were based on the support side, customer service, shipping, hardware testing, etc. Their reputation was already developing, in the early stages, but users still wanted to believe in a "bang for the buck" Linux laptop running a time-tested distro (Elementary OS when they first started). The business crashed and burned. It had nothing to do with the distro. [0] https://old.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/comments/7rn0l4/alpha_store_victims_organize_here/ https://old.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/comments/7rn0l4/alpha...