Linux Journal: Open-Source Applications–Not Only for Auxiliary Tasks

“Comprehensive migration to open-source software is rare. In Poland, a well known exception is the implementation of Linux and StarOffice in the Jan III Sobieski hotel (alongside commercial software for hotel management). The Orbis hotel network also uses Linux, although they do not emphasise it.

“There are a number of reasons for gradual migration. It is not easy to abandon a commercial OS, mainly due to the costs already incurred. Conservatism (implying that good is the enemy of better) also plays a role, as does resistance to change, which is a part of human nature. Exchange of information with the outside world also is important, particularly in desktop installations. Departing from the data formats employed by Microsoft Office raises doubts, despite the fact that similar mechanisms used in free applications offer similar possibilities. Sometimes the companies circumvent this problem by using StarOffice inside the company and Microsoft Office to prepare documents exchanged with the outside world.

“The necessity of subsequent software upgrades, though, is often an incentive to migrate to open source. The more users, the more expensive it becomes to upgrade the commercially based operation. Additionally, new releases often require more efficient hardware…”

Complete Story