Open Source and your Bottom Line part 2

In part 1 I discussed a little history behind Open Source software and what it is. In this article I will discuss some possible choices of Operating Systems (OS) that you can implement for yourself. However for a business implementation, hiring a professional is probably the best way to get the best results. There are some instances where open source software can be difficult to configure on platforms other than Windows and there may be a learning curve to using the software. However, this really depends on the software and the operating system your using.

Most computer systems use the Microsoft Windows brand of OS. However there are a few good choices for a non-Microsoft OS such as:

Mac OS X A decent operating system with its unique way of performing day to day tasks. In the past (before OS X) it was hard to manage on a network other than a Mac network and is extremely proprietary. You must own a Mac to have Mac OS X (although there are emulators that you can use in windows). I only mention this OS because there is a small open source market for Macs and didn't want to leave them out. You can check out a sampling here to see some of the great open source software available.

Linux - Linux itself is an open source version of the UNIX operating system and created by a Finnish programmer named Linus Torvalds. Linux is implemented in the form of a Distro (short for distribution). There are many versions of Linux but I will only mention a couple here that I think are easy to use and have a lot of support.

Ubuntu is in my opinion the best distro for the non-technical user that I have found. It installs almost as easy as Windows XP/Vista and supports a huge number of hardware types. There is a ton of support for Ubuntu and is still growing. There is specific software written just for Ubuntu as well. Ubuntu comes pre-loaded with most of the software that you will ever need including OpenOffice a free open source office sweet that rivals Microsoft Office. It uses FireFox web browser and has several email clients. It has video and music players, rippers, graphics and so on.

Another thing that is interesting is that you can make or purchase an Ubuntu live CD and run it on your current computer without having to install it. This gives you the chance to test drive it before you commit an asset to it.

Red Hat Linux is probably one of the more well known versions of Linux out there. It has a huge support base and is well documented. RedHat sells service with it's version of Linux. This is how they get around the issue of open source, they sell a service contract and give you the software for free. All in all this isn't a bad thing because it is a very successful OS but sits in that grey area of being truly open source.

Fedora is probably the second most well known version of Linux. Fedora is the foundation for the RedHat Linux and is a true, free open source OS. Like other versions of Linux it is supported and maintained by a large community of programmers and other contributors. The operating system itself is very stable and includes many built in or value added features.

There are many other distributions of Linux and many are also excellent candidates for use at home and the office. However, I cannot describe each and every one. If you want to see many other OS's then just follow this link here or here to see the many others available.

Linux based OS's can be found everywhere from watches to refrigerators, routers to laptops, desktops to servers. Open Source Operating Systems can be a great way to stretch your doller at home or at the office and remain just as productive or in some cases even more productive.

The next article in this series will discuss open source utilities and programs such as Office Suites, Web Browsers, Media Players and more. The Final article will include a wrap up and a do it yourself project to create an opensource media center that you can use to play Movies and TV and Music.

Part 3 coming soon.

Open Source and your Bottom Line PART 1

A little history can't hurt



Ahhhh.....the age old question "proprietary vs. Open Source". It's hard to believe that Linux has been around since 1991 when Linus Torvalds created it out of his dislike of windows and DOS and his fascination with UNIX. But, even before the creation of Linux, a new generation of software and collaboration called "Open Source" had emerged.

Open Source software has been around long before Linux (To read more click here or here). But it wasn't until the Internet became widespread and the GNU/Linux movement in the early 90's that open source gained momentum and began spreading to mainstream usage. Up to that point and even some time after, Open Source was an underground movement (at least on a corporate level) and few people new about or had access to it.


One of the key successes of Open Source software is the fact that it's "source code", the programming language that the software is made up of is free to use and free to manipulate, change and copy. Notice I did not say "free to own" because in understanding the GPL (General Public License) you will realize that the software belongs to everyone and no one. What this also allows is several programmers or even whole programming communities to collaborate on a project from all over the world and constantly improve upon it. The bottom line here is a constantly evolving and maturing product.


Now you're wondering why anyone would spend hours and hours building software that they give away. Well I'd have to say there are many reasons. first, as you explore open source software certain things are not free. Some software is built as a platform or base product and a group or organization will sell you an easy way to work with that platform. Others (And this is true of the many corporate versions of Linux) will sell you technical support and value added services to go along with the free software. However, if you talk to a programmer that writes code for open source projects you will find it is for the challenge, love, thrill, accomplishment and even just sticking it to the big boys (Microsoft). Continued in part 2