This page intended to help you decide whether to adopt Open Source software
and, if you choose to do so, to assist you in the strategy and implementation.
As a company we took this step at the turn of the new century and have never regretted it.
Whether you're in the public or private sector we believe you can benefit from Open Source. So please read on.
We only wish this site had been around when we were taking our first steps and hope that
you will benefit from our learning curve.
We can truthfully say that it has saved us :
- thousands on software
- thousands on hardware
and provided :
- an immensely reliable platform
providing tremendous aid to all our work, technical & administrative.
There have been many technical and legal words written about Open Source
software but the analogy used by
Wikipedia referring to sharing recipes seems a good one. People have been sharing
recipes for hundreds of years. You can borrow a recipe and make your own modifications -
though it is polite to acknowledge the source "based on a recipe from my grandmother".
Open Source software is similar - if the software is published with the GNU General Public
Licence (GPL) it permits the recipient to use the recipe and enhance it provided
that you acknowledge your debt to the previous creator and allow others to benefit
from your work (provided they too provide acknowledgement and and offer their
work to the common good). There's plenty of extra information, and a great
video from Stephen Fry
here.
What is FREE software ?
This description comes from the GNU site :
The word 'free' has two legitimate general meanings; it can refer either to freedom or to price.
When we speak of 'free software', we're talking about freedom, not price. (Think of 'free speech', not 'free beer'.) Specifically, it means that a user is free to run the program,
change the program, and redistribute the program with or without changes.
All the information available via this page is entirely FREE - guides, news and tips.
However, if you need a helping hand then we'll be happy to provide a fixed price
quotation for consultancy or to assist you with an implementation.
We also offer a range of software and support services. Project Computers has been providing software and integrated solutions to
business and the public sector world-wide since 1983.
Simple guides