Real answers to the question “Can you run your business on Linux and open source?”
A friend said to me recently that “Firefox is for the home, Internet Explorer is for the office.” His comments reflect commonly found stigma and fears that free and open source software – and Linux too – are not suitable for a business environment. Let me set the record straight, giving real feedback from companies who have made the switch and don’t look back.
Before we consider business vs personal use, why do people use Microsoft Windows anyway? I’ve previously said there are four major reasons why people opt to use Microsoft Windows over an alternate operating system:
Familiarity
Windows is well-known. The majority of brand-name systems ship with Windows. Most users know what “My Documents” is for, or where to find their printers. It’s a truism that the big problem with first impressions is you only get to make one, so an alternate operating system has the cards loaded against it. If a user can’t find how to perform some of their regular tasks either immediately or in a very short timeframe then there’s little encouragement to try keep trying.
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today's howtos
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Showing biz process is not necessary
I believe that it is safe for a company to use FOSS for their business purposes. If the business develops (or alters) open source software for their own, "in house" uses, they don't have to release the changes and supply the code to the public.
They only have to provide the code if the changed software is going to be used and/or distributed outside the confines of the company.