Is Open Source the answer to the credit crunch?

I was recently purchasing some new laptops when it occurred to me that almost a third of the purchase price related directly to software licensing, in this case Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2007 and anti-virus software. 

Unfortunately computers aren't much use unless they include an operating system and applications such as word processing utilities and anti-virus software are a mandatory requirement for most business usage scenarios.  Suddenly with a blinding *flash* the words open source came to mind and I found myself considering how I could reduce Tamar's overall costs and improve ROI using open source software.

One of the key things to note in my previous sentence is that I am interested in overall costs, not just licensing costs.  Saving £100 on licensing fees whilst incurring double that on support costs or lost productivity is not a positive outcome.

There are a number of things to consider when determining if Open Source is right for your organisation, however listed below are my top 4 starting points:

1) Understand any specific software requirements that exist in your organisation
At Tamar we receive client documentation in a variety of formats, however most is in MS Word, MS Excel or PowerPoint.  As such any solution needs to be able to both read and write documents in these formats.  In addition we have graphic designers who require access to Adobe Photoshop which will only run on Mac OS X or Windows.  Likewise our .Net development team utilise Microsoft Visual Studio which will only run on Windows.

2) The switch to Open Source doesn't have to be an all or nothing approach
Deciding to go open source doesn't mean you have to use all open source software.  It is quite feasible for an organisation to purchase Microsoft Windows licenses, but use an open source word processing package such as OpenOffice. This can deliver the benefits of the Windows operating system whilst still achieving cost savings from the removal of MS Office licensing costs.

3) Determine if your IT support has the necessary skills to maintain your proposed solution
One of the biggest IT costs after hardware and software is usually IT support.  It is important to remember that someone needs to be able to maintain your new solution.  If your organisation is historically a Microsoft shop, you may find that there are limited in house expertise to deal with Open Source software.  This does not mean Open Source is out of the question, merely that it should be implemented in a measured fashion such as point 2 above.

4) What is the impact on your end users
It is important to understand what impact the switch to Open Source software will have on your staff.  A minor change from MS Word to the OpenOffice equivalent will require some basic training, whilst a complete switch from Windows to Linux will require significant retraining.  The costs of training and staff downtime could be extensive and in some cases will outweigh any initial licensing cost savings.

Conclusion
So there you have it.  Although the points above are fairly high level, they should be a good starting point for analysing the suitability of Open Source for your organisation.  Personally I think there is a place for Open Source software to be phased into most organisations and OpenOffice looks like the best starting place to me.

For those who are interested the UK Government actually has an Open Source Policy which is available here.

Google's Chrome doesn't frighten competitors

It seems as though the news of Google very own web browser, Chrome, being prepared for release hasn’t affected the moods of their competitors much. Browser makers, Microsoft, Mozilla and Opera has reacted positively to the news by saying that they welcome the competition from Google and are not afraid  of the search giants move.

Mozilla has gone as far as to say that they aren’t surprised by Google’s move at all, seeing as their business is the internet. They reiterated that they are confident in their own product and the growth it has been experiencing over the last few months.

Our Head of Technology mentioned in his post yesterday, that Chrome has a few features that are very similar of those in Opera. This has been reiterated by the industry that has started pointing out even larger similarities to Opera.

As Chrome is still in Beta testing though, we can only wait until the launch date to get our hands on the full version. Keep checking back for more updates.

Microsoft tweaks XP anti-piracy checker!

Apparently, Microsoft isn’t planning on taking out the wind from the sails of Windows XP yet. If you checked your Windows Automatic Updates this morning you would have noticed it downloading a version of Windows genuine certification software.

This software basically verifies that you are running a valid copy of Windows XP Professional, much like the software used by Vista. If you’re not, it will continuously remind you of your little problem.

If your copy of XP is found to be pirated, the software will turn your back ground to black every time you log on and this will be redone every 60 minutes, so changing the background back to your favorite picture won’t help much. If this isn’t bad enough, a translucent banner will be displayed at the bottom of your screen informing you that your version is not genuine.

Some experts see this as Microsoft continuing their support for XP, but others reckon there is another agenda attached to this update. Apparently, as soon as Microsoft stopped selling XP, the number of pirated copies skyrocket world wide and some now believe this is Microsoft’s way of forcing users to let go of that XP copy and move over to Vista.

Microsoft readies new storage pack.

The latest news to come from the world of Windows is that Microsoft is busy readying a new storage-focused feature pack for Windows. If you’re running XP and suddenly get the feeling that you might be left out, don’t, as Microsoft says the new package will be made available on XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Sever 2008.

The new storage package will include driver functionality for Blu-Ray media and smart-card readers.

Microsoft says that by releasing service packs, like this one, they can ensure that their users gets the latest updates and functionality on new technologies and hardware.

My Notebook in Danger, from the US?

News is that Us Agents now have the power of seizing your notebook, if you were traveling to the USA, and they can hold your notebook for an undisclosed period of time according to a report from the Department of Homeland Security.

These precautions are put into place to stop "terrorism" and the information can be shared with any of the US agencies to "help the fight". The policies cover hard drives, flash drives, cell phones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes -- as well as books, pamphlets and other written materials.

The policies require federal agents to take measures to protect business information and attorney-client privileged material. They stipulate that any copies of the data must be destroyed when a review is completed and no probable cause exists to keep the information.

The future of End-User Desktops

Up to now, most of us have become fairly familiar with the standards of working with desktops. Most of us either make use of a PC or a laptop running the industry standard (in many countries) Windows which has provided us with their form of a desktop. But things are set to change in the near future and I thought I might take a look at the five main points of interest.

1. Desktops will become virtualised

In the past virtualisation has proved it self as a means to save money, time and space in the data centre and desktops will increasingly, in the near future, make use of this technology. The advantages of virtualisation are wide spread but the main points are that it creates the potential to improve security, manageability and flexibility for the end-user desktop.

Server virtualisation has already proved it self, but many people believe that once the small amount of kinks have been worked out, it will be the future for desktops.

2. Desktops will become more mobile

Three years ago, laptops for the first time, surpassed PC’s in sales. Industry predictions show that 66% of corporate purchases will be laptops while 71% of all consumers will opt for laptops in the next 3 years.

But industry experts are quick to express that mobility within corporations does not necessarily mean they will be buying laptops. The reason for this is the amazing popularity of devises such as the Black Berry and IPhone. Devises such as these will continue to set the pace for mobility in the industry, especially with more hardware companies looking to break into the market.

3. Security layers will be applied to Desktop’s

Security should be applied in layers, but unfortunately that is not common practise today in corporations. This will however become standard in the next 3 to 5 years.

These changes will also play a big role as virtualisation becomes common practise. User’s desktops will be segmented into various isolated containers each with its own security validation's. A great example would be to split the user’s installed applications into a folder and business applications into another for easy management by the IT department.

4. Windows will become optional

Microsoft has pretty much had a lock on all desktops over the years as they were unrivaled by other software organisations. As users, we did not have much of a choice. Things however are changing rapidly and Open source and Free ware software is increasingly becoming more popular and more compatible with Microsoft files.

It’s already got to the level where you as a user can literally exchange your Microsoft software for Free ware. A great example is Microsoft Office which can be replaced (in most cases) by Open Office. Sure there are a few compatibility bugs, but as time goes by and usage increases, these will be minimised.

Other services, such as Google docs, are increasingly breaking the strangle hold of Microsoft as well and making complete mobility of documents possible.

Microsoft, however, is still unrivaled when it comes to software and hardware certifications, but even this is set to change in the near future as hardware companies, Dell more than ever, are starting to make greater use of Linux on mainstream PC’s and Laptops.

5. Desktops is set to disappear

According to annalists, the end-user desktop as we know it won’t be a desktop at all in the next 5 years.

End users will be able to access applications and files in a data cloud, from whatever internet connected devices he or she might be working on. This trend is further more supported with new Web-based internet applications growing in popularity and functionality.

All in all, the End-User desktop is set for major changes in the long run. Hopefully most will be to the advantage of us, the daily users. But then only time and patience will be able to tell.

Windows XP SP3 finally released!

Windows XP SP3 was supposed be released on the 29th of April, but due to "unforeseen" bugs, Microsoft has had to extend the release date. Yesterday, XP SP3 officially hit the Release to Web (RTW) milestone, which in simple terms means, it's ready for download.

The final build of SP3 includes every single security update, out-of-band release and hotfix that has been released since SP2.

Those of you interested in downloading SP3 will have to do so through Windows Update. The current SP3 available on Microsoft Download Center is only for network administrators.

Before you do however rush off and download the new SP3, make sure that you read the updated release notes and that you know what to do with your current version of IE, as this could be affected by the installation.

Never too old to surf

Gone are the days where using a PC is only for the ~young 'n' happenin'~. Microsoft have established partnership with Age Concern in developing a computer with a simple interface aimed at the older generation. The plans were unveiled at a Digital Inclusion conference in London.

It is aimed for the use of managing prescriptions and perhaps simple photo organisation for the 17 million citizens that are described as "digitally excluded" in the UK.

I guess it is all about equality, but I think I might be slightly insulted if I was informed that 'prescription management' was the most likey reason why I would want to use a PC. What about a good game of GTA IV?

I suppose it could be quite useful for people who haven't used a computer before as it proposes to preload it  with a "digital literacy curriculum" - a step by step guide to how to get online, be safe and perform simple computer tasks.

I'll be fasinated to see the result if this ever comes about !

PC makers keep Windows XP alive

Microsoft's recent announcement that they will officially remove Windows XP from sales by end of June, has done little to deter PC makers from continue to sell XP with their products.

Dell, Lenovo and HP have found various loopholes in Microsoft's licensing terms and are exploiting these to continue selling Windows XP after the cut off date at the end of June.

Windows XP is gradually being phased out by Microsoft in favour of Vista, but it is mainly because Vista has received a lukewarm welcome from buyers and many are opting to stay with Windows XP.

PC manufacturers are using a clause in the conditions for Windows Vista which lets PC manufacturers provide XP under the terms of a "downgrade license" for the Business and Ultimate versions of the new operating system. With all these cases, the PC's are basically being sold as Vista machines with the unused option of upgrading to Vista.

Microsoft boss, Steve Ballmer, however had some positive news at a press conference in Belgium. He said that if customer demand was large enough for XP, they would consider extending the life span.

Windows XP SP3 due in two weeks?

Every time Microsoft was asked about the launch date of SP3 for Windows XP, they would simply respond with the official answer, “first half of 2008”.

However, the guys at Neowin somehow got there hands on an internal Microsoft memo and according to them we can expect SP3 on the 29th of April. This news is quite significant to many IT managers and users world wide.

Firstly, for many who were deciding whether to move over onto Vista, for its supposedly superior performance, the answer now would be a simple, NO. Many early performance tests that were done on SP3 revealed that it would increase the performance quite significantly above that of Vista's. And to make the news even sweeter, Vista's new SP1 is said to slow the current performance.

Secondly, Microsoft announced a few weeks ago that they would be extending XP's life span by two more years and with the news last week that Windows 7's launch date will be much earlier than anticipated, most people can find comfort with the knowledge that they now can entirely skip Vista.