Software for the Open Enterprise. Buy Now from the Official Store!
www.shopnovell.com
Hands-on 2-day class in San Jose May 8th-9th $700 LinuxCertified
LinuxCertified.com/LinuxTraining
Hands-On Training & In-Depth Labs Public Schedule & On-Site Courses
www.traininghott.com
This article, written for the Linux Journal, is a guide to building capable Linux workstations on the cheap from generic PC hardware.
www.tuxedo.org
A site for Linux users with a variety of information about Linux.
www.destinationlinux.com
Linux business solutions provider, offering the Linux community a resource for shopping, support and community services.
www.elinux.com
Resource center for Free Operating Systems. It provides Articles, Documentation, Download Sites, News, Links and anything related to all Free Operating Systems
www.freeos.com
Program for maintaing your Iomega Zip and/or Jaz drive(s) and disks under Linux.
www.scripps.edu
Develops, markets and sells Linux based embedded system software components and solutions.
www.lineo.com
Antarctica is a Linux operating system distribution designed for ease of use and simple installation. Antarctica provides Linux kernel support as well as a multitude of free software products that can be installed into the X/Windows environment.
www.linuxantarctica.com
A non-profit association of groups, corporations and others that work towards the promotion of Linux.
www.li.org
Mission is to help people using Linux by providing Online help on various Linux topics and area's such as books (Administration, Linux, Unix, Perl, Security and Programming), manuals (The linux document project manuals, HOWTO's, mini-HOWTO's, On...
www.linuxpowered.com
Linux software from role games to utilities card games and a collection of internet Linux software!
www.linuxberg.com
Provider of software consulting services, including technical support, migration, training development and certification. Services are provided to multiple industries. This company was capitalized by private investment.
www.linuxcare.com
A UK based company which specializes in the commercial distribution and resale of Linux related systems, software and books.
www.linuxit.com
Site for people who want to run Linux as a desktop operating system.
www.linuxtopia.com
Combines experience in embedded systems with experience in Linux to offer open-source software solutions for the worldwide embedded systems market.
www.mvista.com
Comprehensive links to information and resources about the Linux Operating System.
nll.linuxwebring.org
Provider of Internet hosting, marketing, e-commerce strategy and site development services. Services are provided to multiple industries. This company was capitalized by private investment.
www.eonbusiness.com
Buy a Storage/Server Bundle and get 15% off of the list price.
www.sun.com (Paid)
Offers Linux based workstations, servers, software and servers.
www.yellowdoglinux.com
Believes in the need for a standardized, multi-national, and respected program to certify levels of individual expertise in Linux.
www.lpi.org
Open Source, open systems and commercial systems to create the most robust Linux for complete corporate computing needs.
www.turbolinux.com
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Software for the Open Enterprise. Buy Now from the Official Store!
www.shopnovell.com
Hands-on 2-day class in San Jose May 8th-9th $700 LinuxCertified
LinuxCertified.com/LinuxTraining
Guide to Using Linux for Your Desktop
Using Linux and open source software for your small businessLinux comes with lots of free useful software for small business. For example, OpenOffice is a complete office suite complete with a word processing program, spreadsheet, database, media presentation and a graphics package. Mozilla.org offers Firefox for browsing the web, Thunderbird for email, and Sunbird, a calendar client. Dell offers the vUbuntu desktop edition 7.04 Fiesty Fawn. Not wanting to be outdone, some major software vendors such as Adobe and Oracle provide Linux versions of their software.
There are differing opinions about whether Linux has a lower TCO (total cost of ownership) than Windows. However, Linux is enjoying a increasing following all over the world. The French parliament, some UK city councils, and the city of Munich are among organizations which have dumped Microsoft Windows for Linux on its desktops.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Decide whether Linux is for you
For the technology averse, switching to Linux might be challenging. Despite its relative popularity in the server market, Linux is yet to be an overwhelming choice for the desktop.
I recommend:
Before you jump ship to Linux, read about others' experiences with migrating to Linux. Reallylinux has this article on using Linux for small businesses. Download this TCO calculator and figure out how much you can save by deploying Linux in your business. Novell released this whitepaper on "Why choose Suse over Vista".
Learn more about Linux
There are lots of resources available to learn more about Linux. You can join a Linux user group in your area. There are also lots of tutorials available on the Internet to help you get started.
I recommend:
Find a Linux user group close by. Lots of eager volunteers are available to help you get started. Lots of tutorials available on the web. Many community colleges offer introductory courses in Linux. You can also join one of the many user forums available on the web.
Go to your local bookstore and pick a book on Linux. Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon carry a lot of Linux books.
Get Linux
Now that you have decided to deploy Linux, you will need to decide on a Linux distribution. Linux has many distributions which are either vendor supported or not. Vendor supported distributions cost extra for technical support, whereas non-vendor supported distributions cost practically nothing.
I recommend:
If you do not want to deal with deploying Linux yourself, purchase vendor support. Redhat Enterprise Linux offers deals for small businesses. Linsphere sells preinstalled Linux computers through a number of retailers. Suse Linux from Novell is another vendor supported distribution.
Some vendors provide computers with Linux preinstalled. This might limit you to a particular distribution.
For the strong willed and the curious, you will need to choose a distribution. Distrowatch contains information about Linux distributions. Fedora, Debian and Ubuntu are some of the common distributions.
Find useful and free software
Work smarter not harder. Chances are that if you need particular software, a version is available for Linux. A typical Linux install will contain most of the software you will need. Even if not, there are many places to find useful Linux software for your small business.
I recommend:
Search over 130,000 open source projects at SourceForge.net. Small business will benefit from CRM ERP software like Compiere and vTiger, project management tools like GanntProject and Webcollab, and accounting software like osFinancials.
Secure your Linux computer
Linux is less vulnerable to viruses and malicious attacks than Microsoft Windows. Dr. Nic Peeling and Dr. Julian Satchell’s Analysis of the Impact of Open Source Software estimates that there are 40 known Linux viruses compared to over 60,000 for Microsoft Windows. Linux itself is considered secure but some software packages written for Linux can contain vulnerabilites.
I recommend:
Verify that your Linux machine is updated regularly. Check your documentation on how to set up automatic updates. Read and implement this tutorial on securing Linux workstations. CERT lists up to date vulnerabilites and security updates for software packages. Subscribe to Security Focus's popular bugtraq mailing list.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide- Dont be intimidated by Linux. If you are skeptical, find an old computer and test Linux.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. Go to the user forums and ask questions.
- Unless you have a high speed connection, install Linux from a CD or DVD.
- Choose only the applications you need. You can always add more later.
