Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Jason G. Caudill Assistant Professor of Business Administration Carson-Newman College OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE FOR SMALL BUSINESS Introduction Businesses need technology resources to operate Commercial software licenses can be expensive Open source software alternatives can provide technology resources without licensing fees The functionality of the software is key What is Open Source? Software that is freely distributed Software the freely distributes not only the software, but also the source code Source code: the programming language behind a computer program Benefits of Open Source Communities of developers can work simultaneously to: Fix identified problems Create program extensions Create plug-ins to expand program capabilities What do these benefits add up to? Faster development times Faster responses to problems More responsive to user requests Advantages to Small Business License Costs: No purchase fees No fees to upgrade to the next version Affordable to have infrequently used software Expansion Costs: Open source can be freely distributed to employees for home use Additional workstations can be added without additional licensing costs Open Source Usability Features Many open source products read and save in the most popular commercial file formats Many of the most popular open source products are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems Small Business is Unique Capital/Liquidity Staffing Small businesses need the Small businesses often best results from minimum investments to optimize efficiency Open source programs give businesses productivity without capital expenditures can’t afford IT support or training Open source offers active user communities for support Open source offers many online tutorials for training Open Source software gives small businesses technology resources and support without requiring new expenditures or additional staffing Open Source Program Categories Productivity Office suites Communication Web browsers E-mail clients Voice communications Media Web editors Image editors Vector graphics programs Desktop publishing Open Source Office Suite . The Novell release, with the available Open XML translator, is compatible with Office 2007 – available here This is a great example of the benefits of communities of developers! Includes: word processor, presentation creator, spreadsheet, database, and drawing program Web Browser . Powerful, full-featured, multi-platform web browser Expandable – many plug-ins give Firefox great tools to make web browsing and research easier Available from www.mozilla.org E-mail Client . Full-featured, multiplatform e-mail client Supports POP and IMAP e-mail Excellent SPAM filter Will host multiple accounts Available from www.mozilla.org Voice Communication . Call system management Supports Voice Over IP (VOIP) telephony Can provide voicemail, telephony web interface, or a conference bridge Available at http://www.asterisk.org/ Web Editor . A What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) web editor Supports advanced features like templates, forms, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and has an integrated File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server Tag and HTML editing is also available Online at http://www.kompozer.net/ Image Editing . The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) Basic and advanced image editing including cropping, brightness and contrast controls, multiple layers, filters, and editing masks Online at http://www.gimp.org/ Vector Graphics . Useful for creation of original images Vector graphics are good for creating logos, illustrations, and other images Vector graphics are scalable – they can be altered to different sizes without distortion Online at http://www.inkscape.org/ Desktop Publishing . Provides options for creating professional print publications such as newsletters, flyers, and other documents Online at http://www.scribus.net/ Conclusion Selecting the proper selection of software can provide small businesses with necessary technical resources Even the smallest companies have the ability to produce and use integrated technology solutions For more open source options go to www.sourceforge.net or http://www.osalt.com/ Contact Contact Jason at [email protected] or via his website at www.jasoncaudill.com