Sam Hiser is co-author of "Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop" (O'Reilly) and a founding contributor to JDShelp.org. He is a GNU/Linux consultant in New York City and a Contributing Editor to Linux.SYS-CON.com.
When clients ask me, "Sam, honestly, how do I get started with open source?"
it's usually clear that the first step is to install Mozilla Firefox on their
Windows machines. The next step is to install the OpenOffice.org suite and
help them plan a migration strategy away from MS Office.
Firefox and OpenOffice are tactical assets in the battle for the wider use of
open software standards. These two important commodity applications -
installed on Windows - are the start of a beautiful new relationship for
organizations with their computer systems based on lower total cost of
ownership (TCO) and higher productivity. As users exert control by demanding
better desktop security and open formats, we must continue to rigorously ask,
"What can we still do to accelerate their open source epiphanies?"
In 2010, when the desktop standards war is winding down, we'll look back and
... (more)
Sam Hiser is co-author of "Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop" (O'Reilly) and a founding contributor to JDShelp.org. He is a GNU/Linux consultant in New York City and a Contributing Editor to Linux.SYS-CON.com.
Charles Araujo
Brendan Harding
