Software

Imagine a world where you work side by side with team mates and all are working on portions of a large project. Specific communication between team mates about how each portion works is harshly discouraged. To ensure that the whole thing will come together and work, a specification is drawn up which covers how everything connects to everything else. Anticipated issues are covered thoroughly by this exhaustive document.

Will this project ever come together? Sure, with enough money and manpower, it is possible, even likely, that the project will become a product. Will the product be a good one? Odds are stacked against it since there was little to no communication between people during the design process. Expected issues would be dealt with, but hundreds if not thousands of little unexpected errors will occur which compound into major usability issues in the finished product. Naturally, the product can't be released like this, so teams of people work feverishly around the clock to fix these issues before the arbitrarily set ship date. When this date rolls around, most of the issues have been resolved, yielding a usable, albeit clumsy product. The production costs were astronomical due to the inherent restrictions, but it is the way business is done. Welcome to the world of Closed Source software development.

Now imagine another system. One where the project is conceived, not to sell, but to "scratch an itch", to solve a problem. The program's code is shared to any and all who want it. As each part of the software is written by a volunteer, the code maintainer(s) proof it and integrate it into the body of the growing program. As the software grows, thousands of eyes are upon it, reviewing it for efficiency and security. Naturally, you can't sell what is available for free, so money must be made some other way. Rather than selling the software outright, the program is free, but the expertise to use it is not. To use the software, you may download the program making as many copies as you like. Then, unless you feel comfortable doing so yourself, you should hire an expert to install it on your system, configure it to your liking, and train your employees in its use. This is the world of Open Source software.

While there is nothing wrong with buying software commercially, the open source model usually results in a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). Consider a typical use scenario:

An law office with 8 workstations has changed over from Microsoft Office 2003 to Open Office 3.2. To make the changes and configure Open Office to load and save in Microsoft Office format by default will generally take about an hour per workstation, with the possibility of working multiple computers simultaneously as long as they are in the same room. This means that the total time required is 4 hours. Most people can make the change with no training (some may not even notice a change!), but the partners would feel better about the switch over if there were a bit of training to smooth the rough spots. Two 2-hour training sessions are scheduled with half the office in attendance on one class, and half on the other so the office is never shut down. This takes another 4 hours of labor.

At a standard rate of $100.00 per hour (rather high for software installation), the switch and training ran $800.00. How much would the closed source equivalent be? Without training, and without installation, Microsoft 2007 Professional will run $2479.88. Now consider which scenario would yield higher productivity due to professional installation after hours and training to ensure proficiency? Finally, which supports the local economy as opposed to one hundreds if not thousands of miles away that is already thriving?

The point is that there is plenty of free software available that is just as good if not better than their closed source equivalents. Sourceforge, an online development bullpen, hosts over 100,000 open source software projects. Of these, 34,925 are considered production ready with another 740 considered mature and at the end of their development cycle. Open Source software has everything from word processing programs to games, operating systems, CAD programs, and much more.

If we can help a business save $500 a year by using Open Source office software, we will. If a school needs a CAD program and doesn't have $1,000.00 for autocad with an academic license, we'd like to show them where to find a CAD package for free. We also help people with older computers deal with outdated programs whenever possible. Nothing is worse than having your system orphaned because the software it can run is no longer supported.

We have compiled a list of Open Source software which has been tested and in many cases we run in the Lobo Savvy office. This list is updated periodically and will continue to evolve. Click here to download the current list.

We have the tools. We have the knowledge.

We want you to succeed.