"Forget the zealots. Open-source software isn't ready
to take over the world just yet. But it can be had for free, and in
this economy, free is good. Raj Goel, chief technology officer at
technology services firm Brainlink International, saved $50,000 by
going with open-source Apache software for his Web servers instead
of buying the commercial stuff. Goel is a big open-source fan, but
he also believes that there's a limit to what it can do. Linux is
great for routine networking tasks, for example, but don't inflict
it on your workers as a desktop operating system. Likewise, don't
expect Windows and Mac users to embrace open-source alternatives to
Microsoft's (MSFT ) ubiquitous Office suite. The free alternatives
just don't measure up. Instead, open-source works best when
powering systems behind the scenes, accomplishing tasks such as
serving e-mail or powering firewalls.
To decide if open-source software is right for you, talk to your
techies. If they're already juggling a mix of platforms, such as
Windows and Unix, they've probably fooled around with open-source
servers and development tools. On the other hand, if they're
dedicated Windows developers, you should probably give open-source
a pass."
