Hardware company VA Linux Systems Inc has teamed with open source games company Loki Entertainment Software Inc to coordinate direct sales for the Debian GNU/Linux retail package. VA launched the Debian box set back in October (CI No 3,767) in partnership with SGI and publisher O’Reilly & Associates. The new deal will see the package sold at Fry’s electronics, Micro Center, Electronics Boutique and J&R Computer World. Sun Microsystems Inc has agreed to provide a free StarOffice CD with the Debian bundle, which already features Loki’s Myth II: Soulblighter. All proceeds are earmarked for Software in the Public Interest, the non-profit group which maintains the Debian Linux distribution. VP of marketing Brian Biles described the initial response to the Debian bundle as overwhelming. Our new relationship with Loki will facilitate wider distribution of the Debian GNU/Linux package, giving more users an easy way to try Debian for the first time, he said. In other news, next week VA plans to announce SourceForge, a web-based repository for more than 220 open source projects. Developers should be able to reuse code posted there for free.
