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Free Alternatives to Expensive Commercial Products Open Source Technology Solutions: Free Alternatives to Expensive Commercial Products Eddie Vega Department of Adolescence Education / Health Introduction The term “open-source” is synonymous with words such as, “free” and “Linux”. True, “open-source” is linux-based. And “yes”, it is free. Linux-based products are designed originally for people who understand the concept of what makes Linux work. However, the producers of these products also want to gain momentum by providing both Windows and Mac versions of their “freeware” in hopes of making the public-at-large aware of alternatives to mainstream commercial applications. Open-source has come a long way. Many of todays open-source operating systems provide technical support in some capacity. open-source applications such as the alternative to Adobe Photoshop entitled, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) are supported by the open-source community. Therefore, when one looks up tutorials on how to use a specific application, most times one will find a long list of individualized sites that can satisfy a variety of needs. Though the focus of this paper is to shed some light on open-source applications, one cannot do so properly without a small mention of the Linux operating system. “Hi, I'm a Mac! I'm a PC! And I'm Linux?” - Some Linux Information The names Bill Gates and Steve Jobs can be associated to Microsoft and Macintosh respectively, but who is Linus Torvalds? Originally from Finland, this graduate from the University of Helsinki, who now calls Silicon Valley home, is considered to be the father of Linux and a hero to many. Linux, like Windows and Mac, is an operating system, or “o/s”. An operating system establishes an environment where one can have access to a multitude of tools in order to create/produce a product (i.e.: spreadsheets, presentations, word processed documents, graphics, check emails, listen to music and web designs, just to name a few). Linux, unlike the mainstream giants, has a variety of operating systems to meet the needs of individuals with varying skill levels. Conversely, Windows provides users with several versions of its o/s with varying degrees of functionality and Mac provide its users with only one option in an operating system. Some factors that set these operating systems apart are: 1)Linux is FREE, whereas Windows and Mac carry hefty price tags. 2) The code behind Linux itself is “open-source” and therefore can be modified and re- written (the reason behind why there are, quite literally, hundreds of various versions of Linux – each sporting a different name, look and feel). 3) A programmer with enough skill to redesign the internal coding of the operating system, which is open-source – meaning, no one individual owns it - can then turn around and make a profit. Companies such as Red Hat and Novell are currently making a profit selling their versions of the o/s as well as technical support. 4) Additional applications, such as browsers, office suites, games, graphic design software, etc., can easily be allocated throughout the open-source community. On the commercial side, there is a price tag associated to every piece of software we use. However since Linux, by design is free, it is referred or associated to the world of open-source. A full timeline of the History of Linux can be found online at: http://www.linux.org/info/linux_timeline.html A brief biography for Linus Torvalds can also be found online at: http://www.linux.org/info/linus.html 324 Demystification When one hears the phrase “open-source” or the word “Linux”, the immediate reactions are that it sounds complicated or that there's just too much programming involved. The purest form of Linux does require a solid understanding of computer programming. One of the reasons for this is that by using what is known as typed “command lines,” a user can gain direct access to a particular application without having to wait to locate the application, then for the “pretty” graphics to reveal the application, and finally for the application to open up in order to work. Although the ease of Linux and command lines may sound efficient, they pose certain challenges for individuals who want significantly more than what other operating systems can offer. For many people who are accustomed to working in a Windows or Mac environment, working in a graphic interface with point-and-click features makes the experience a sane one. The idea of having to type a command that will open some program similar to Word doesn't thrill many users. And, as if that weren't enough, a user would need to troubleshoot his/her command if an error is encountered. The graphic interface, or Graphical User Interface (GUI), is vital in winning over users of traditional operating systems. Currently, this has become an explosive topic, but in a good way. More and more Linux-based operating systems now have a GUI for those who want to try Linux without the fear of the “command line.” Such operating systems include, Mandriva, Knoppix, Fedora and the Ubuntu Family – Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu. These o/s allow users to simply point-and-click to access any application. (And “yes”, there is the right- click for those Windows fans.) Running a Linux o/s requires you to understand that the commercial or proprietary applications that would normally run on your Windows or Mac will not always run on Linux. (There is a way to do this for Windows applications, but details will not be given here simply because it is not foolproof and may cause more harm than good.) Perhaps more importantly, knowing what the alternative applications are to the commercial and proprietary products will help users to achieve a certain level of financial freedom. Open-Source and Financial Freedom As stated earlier, open-source applications are “freeware.” These programs are produced and maintained by people from all over the world who believe that no matter what an individual's economic status is, what country someone lives in, what level of education s/he may have or may not have – everyone is entitled to have access to technology. As a result, open-source is not solely 100% for Linux. There are open-source versions of applications available to both Windows and Mac. The equivalent to Microsoft Office (MS) is called, Open Office (OO). It is available for Linux, Windows and Mac. It's a free download from www.openoffice.org. Simply select the version for the appropriate o/s and download. Open Office contains equivalent applications to rival Microsoft. For example, OO Writer is MS Word; OO Impress is MS PowerPoint; OO Calc is MS Excel; OO Base is MS Access, and so on. Advantages to Open Office include: Microsoft Office compatibility; export to PDF almost instantly; creation of a SWF (ShockWave File) of a Presentation; files saved to earlier versions of Microsoft; files saved to WordPerfect; and many more. This article was created using Open Office Writer. Can any noticeable difference between this and a Microsoft Word document be detected? For graphic design, the most popular commercial product on the is Adobe Photoshop. Version 10 (CS3), as of this writing, is now on the market. Adobe is now releasing new versions on a yearly basis. It is nearly impossible for anyone, organization, business or individual, to keep up with this technology in a cost effective manner. It even that much more difficult for non-profit organizations, small businesses, educational institutions, or students who either operate on a limited shoe-string budget or no budget at all to remain on the cutting edge of software like this. However, there is an open-source Photoshop equivalent called the GNU Image Manipulation Program, better known as GIMP – www.gimp.org. Like Open Office, it is available for Linux, Windows and Mac. At time of this article, GIMP is at version 2.2 and is about as powerful as Photoshop version 7. It has many of the same features, but like all new programs, it does take some time to get oriented to its interface. 325 If a user needed to build a website and could not find a current version of Microsoft FrontPage (Microsoft officially dropped FrontPage as of November 2006) and Adobe Dreamweaver is not within budget, NVU is an open-source option – see www.nvu.org. There is also KompoZer – www.kompozer.org - which is built on the NVU interface and the programming code used to design the application itself. As with KompoZer, an advantage of open-source is that no one individual or organization owns the code behind the application. It can be modified and renamed and put back out onto the web as a new product or as an upgrade. Another advantage is that open-source applications are available in many languages. NVU or KompoZer is a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) text editor as powerful as FrontPage 2000. Overall, what would a package containing the latest Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Dreamweaver cost? Walk into any computer or office supply store and the prices range from the ludicrous to the absurd. For teachers, faculty, staff, and students, there are academic discounts from websites such as: www.academicsuperstore.com, www.journeyed.com, www.studica.com, just to name a few, but the problems begin when an institution or organization must go with the lowest bid on software from specific sites yet those prices are still over-the-top. To illustrate the open-source versus commercial costs of equivalent products, see the chart entitled “Cost of Commercial Applications vs.
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