OS Living

I'm a big fan of open-source technologies.

One reason is simplicity. The intranet I manage at work needs to run fast and reliably. I discovered that Microsoft's IIS 6 web server did neither. When there would be a problem with generating web pages, it wouldn't tell you why. Any error would throw up the same stupid "page not found" message.

So I moved to Apache. Now, if a web page glitches, I can look in a log and find out exactly what happened, and quickly fix it.

That's the way open-source software works. Its open nature means that if something breaks, its reason can be quickly discerned, maybe not by YOU, but by someone who has solved the problem and posted it on the web.

Of course, open-source software is also FREE. That doesn't hurt a bit when deciding to give it a try.

I have taken the ultimate open-source plunge. I have dumped Windows and switched to Ubuntu Linux. But you don't have to do anything that drastic.

Instead, browse through the open-source software that is cataloged at today's FamilyFirst pick: Open Source Living.

You'll find web tools, office suites, video and audio applications, games, entertainment, and lots, lots more.

Who says software has to be expensive and secretive?

http://www.osliving.com/

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