Published November 2001

‘Free’ software can be valuable tool in the office

By Tom Schreier
Computer Q&A

Gone are the days of freeware/shareware applications as your only alternative to commercial software. Now, you can find robust software packages to meet many of, if not all, your business needs right on the Internet.

The “free” software movement offers some of the best products, usually for the cost of a download. Often, the software is free to use, and if you would like paid support, there are many options available. Some of the most important software running the Internet relies on these programs.

There are hundreds of applications to handle your daily business needs — from e-mail systems, accounting packages, databases and Web servers to full-fledged office productive suites.

The most famous “free” software package is most likely GNU/Linux — sometimes called “the little operating system that could.” GNU/Linux has been created by thousands of developers for you to use for free.

You can download the operating system and never send a check to anyone. If you need a support contract, many companies have stepped in to offer support at reasonable prices.

GNU/Linux might not be able to replace all of your operation system needs, but if you need a file server, print server or Internet server, the price and, in many cases, the performance cannot be beat.

StarOffice is gaining ground as a great alternative to Microsoft’s Office suite. StarOffice, through Openoffice.org, offers all the same tools many folks use in their daily jobs — word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software — that integrate with current MS Office users. The file formats are easily exchanged among them, and the user interfaces are similar enough that it won’t take someone long to switch between them.

Apache is the Web server that runs the Web — currently 60 percent of all Web servers are running it. Compare that to 26 percent for the closest competitor, Microsoft’s IIS, and you begin to see where “free” software begins to shine.

The ability of users to modify the application and the help of thousands have made Apache a huge success. The software will run on many different platforms, from Microsoft’s Windows NT to Sun’s Solaris. Because of this, many Web applications can be moved from one environment to another with relative ease.

Apache isn’t the most user-friendly program, especially if you’re coming from a Microsoft background, but its support in the software community is quick to help.

These are just three of the applications out there, and with those, your only cost is the time to download them. The strength of the “free” software movement is best seen in the community of users it has spawned.

If you are stuck with a problem, all it takes is a few e-mails or forum posts and help is on the way. Also, being able to talk directly to the developers on the projects can lead to other features being added that your business might need.

Will the “free” software movement topple the big commercial software houses? It’s doubtful, but it will raise the bar for support and competitive prices.

To get you started, here are some links to some of the better repositories of software:

• GNU Project, www.gnu.org
• Open Source Development, www.sourceforge.com
• One of the many Linux Web sites, www.linux.com
• The official Apache Web site, www.apache.org
• Openoffice.org Web site, www.openoffice.org

Tom Schreier is the Webmaster and Network Security Analyst for The Herald. He can be reached by sending e-mail to schreier@heraldnet.com.

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