OSS-biz

“We tested openSUSE, Ubuntu 8.4, PCLinuxOS, Mandriva Linux One, Fedora, SimplyMEPIS, and CentOS 5.1. All performed well, and each had at least one truly outstanding feature.

In the last couple of years, desktop-friendly Linux distributions have taken enormous leaps — they’re easier to install, better maintained, and more powerful than ever before. There’s also that many more of them — which means that many more possibilities to sift through.” - Article

“In part 1 I debunked the “OSS is bad for the economy myth”. In part2 I showed six different models for OSS support. In this third and final post on debunking OSS myths, I will address these two statements:

• OSS products are second rate (”created in the garage” mentality)
• OSS can’t be good because it is free”

- Article

“In this post I will discuss the myths about open source support. I have heard every quote from “You can’t get support for open source” to “Where are you going to get support, in a chat room?” It is obvious that people who make these statements have not done their homework or just choose to dislike OSS because of their long history of snuggling up with their favorite vendor(s).” - Article

Meeting is scheduled for April 30th, 6-9pm at The Old Brogue in Great Falls, VA. Google Map.

This month’s topics include:

• Have a Job/Need a Job/Make a Job
• FOSE 2008: Redux
• OSS vs. Recession
• Investing in Open Source
• Open Source Business Strategies
• This Blog

“On the ITToolbox community, we have some very passionate bloggers both for and against open source software (OSS). I am a proponent of both OSS and proprietary software. As an architect, I view both of these as tools in my toolbox. The trick is to know when to use the right tool for the right job. It is unfortunate that some people think there is no place for OSS. Here are a few of the myths (FUD) that I continue to hear from people who insist on depriving their company from leveraging OSS tools even when it may be the best solution for a given problem.” - Article

“AbiWord is a great little word processor for Windows, Linux, and OS X. It can handle DOC, RTF, TXT, and HTML files, as well as a few other other formats. And AbiWord takes up an awful lot less disc space than OpenOffice.org. So it’s certainly worth checking out if all you need is a lightweight but full-featured word processor.” - Article

Microsoft Office is great but expensive if you are a home user or a small business. This is where OpenOffice.org comes in.

“OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.” - http://www.openoffice.org/

There has been plenty written on this topic already, this post is just to tie in 3 recent articles about OpenOffice.org.

Can OpenOffice.org do the job? - Ryan Cartwright
Make sure Word, OpenOffice.org Writer play well together - Dennis O’Reilly
OpenOffice.org 3.0’s new features, an early look - Andrew Z

“Last week I touched on some Microsoft backflipping over Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when it comes to Linux. It had been claimed that although Linux was a free operating system, Windows had a lower overall cost with all factors considered due to its greater ease of administration. Yet, this is no longer the case, with Microsoft’s server line now using a Bash-inspired command line system called PowerShell.” - Article

Meeting is scheduled for March 26th, 6-9pm at The Old Brogue in Great Falls, VA. Google Map.

This month’s topics include:

• Have a Job/Need a Job/Make a Job
• FOSE 2008
• OSS vs. Recession
• Open Source Business Strategies
• This Blog

“One of the most popular discussions in the blogosphere is the topic of how Linux is posed to start taking market share from Microsoft in the battle of the desktops. What I don’t see being discussed too much anymore is how dominating Linux is becoming in the middle tier and backend server space. Not only has Linux been killing Windows in this area but it is also killing mainframes, Unix, and is a favorite choice for grid computing.” - Article