Many people pay no attention to opensource software. They assume that since it is free, it is not as good as expencive software, or it does not have any support. Many linux advocates have fought this battle for years.
When I first started working with linux, an opensource Unix-like operating system, I too assumed it had no support.
Shortly after I installed Linux, I found that I was not able to use my scanner. A driver was not there. With no support phone number to call, I found a Linux News group and posted my problem. Later that same night I received an e-mail with a driver that a person had writen for the scanner and instructions to install it. It worked Flawlessly..
That made me start thinking about this "No Support" argument. If this problem had happened on my Windows computer and I had contacted the scanner manufacture or Microsoft, do you think I would have received a custom writen driver with good directions just hours after I requested it? Heck No!
While some opensource products may not have a company supplying support, they do have a wide spread comunity of IT users and Opensource advocates there to help. On the other hand, some opensource products do have a support model and are just less feature rich versions of pay software.
Here are just a few examples of opensource software that is worth having a look at for personal use or Small Business:
OpenOffice - Open office is similar to Microsoft Office. Openoffice was writen by Sun Microsystems and Sun currently does offer paid support on the product.
Open office contains applications similar to Microsoft word, excel, and Powerpoint. They do not currently offer a replacement for Microsoft Outlook or Publisher. Check out Open Office at http://www.openoffice.org/
Asterisk - Asterisk is an Opensource PBX Phone system based on VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Asterisk has been deployed with as many as 10,000 handsets! That's a big, robust phone system! This all works over VOIP and includes features such as Transfer, Voicemail, IVR with time conditions and routing based on Phone number called and/or Caller ID number. Don't want your daughters boyfriend to call after 10pm? Setup a rule to watch for that caller ID and send right to voicemail after 10pm, or have fun with him and make your own special message to play for him! :)
VOIP systems are very cost effective and well suited to Multi-site and remote user environments. Phone cost in the range of $125 to $400+ depending on features and quality.
Asterisk runs on Linux. If you don't know linux, that's ok. There are many distributions such as Elastics, AsteriskNOW and Trixbox. Just put the CD in the drive, follow the prompts, then open a web browser and configure. WARNING! Use your old computer that you dont care about. This will wipe out your entire hard drive. Good news though. Asterisk requires very little power, so that old Pentium 3 you bought in 2001 will work just fine to get started.
Asterisk has a strong following of knowledgable users and developers. A company called Digium also supports asterisk and makes Analog and T1 cards for asterisk as well.
SugarCRM - Many small companes just can't afford a great CRM package. CRM stands for "Customer Relationship Managment". It tracks your clients, potential clients, potential sales, and all interaction you have had with a customer.
SugarCRM is web based, so you can use it anywhere. It also works with Asterisk to allow you to dial phone numbers directly from SugarCRM on your Asterisk phone! Use your iPhone more than a deskphone? Then download KinitoPro to your iPhone and get access to SugarCRM from your iPhone.
SugarCRM is often installed with Asterisk preconfigured distributions such as Elastix and AsteriskNOW, so if you trying one of the distributions I listed above for asterisk, chances are you've already installed SugarCRM!
SugarCRM is opensource, however, has a more robust paid version and a support model. See http://www.sugarcrm.com/crm/demo/sugar-suite.html for a demo of SugarCRM features.
TrueCrypt - When security matters, TrueCrypt is the answer. TrueCrypt creates Encrypted files or can encrypt your entire computer! You might recall a Whitehouse intern's laptop getting stollen and the threat of thousands of Social Security numbers being compromised. TrueCrypt would have made the stole laptop as useful as a boat ancor to the theif..
When TrueCrypt Encrypts a volume or a computer, it jumbles all the data on the drive in an algorythem that is generated randomly when you first setup the software. From that point forward, your password is the only thing that can allow the data to be unencrypted.
TrueCrypt can go one step futher. Not only can it offer great security, it can be elusive. You can create hidden TrueCrypt files or volumes, so the would be data theif would think that part of the drive is just empty.
Your probably wondering why the main stream public would want this. Many people are carrying around important data and files on small and inexpencive thumb drives. These thumb drives are easily lost or misplaced. If you lost your thumbdrive on the street, would you want just anyone picking it up and reading your important data? Encrypt it! Check out TrueCrypt at http://www.truecrypt.org/
See many more Opensource projects at http://sourceforge.net/
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