jason g. caudill assistant professor of business administration carson-newman college
Post on 11-Jan-2016
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Jason G. Caudill
Assistant Professor of Business AdministrationCarson-Newman College
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 best results from minimum investments to optimize efficiency
Open source programs give businesses productivity without capital expenditures
Small businesses often 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 jason@jasoncaudill.com or via his website at www.jasoncaudill.com
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