Considering changing business software platforms, leaving your current office software suite or email server software supplier? Looking for lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and more robust systems that stand up better to virus and security attacks? Open Systems give you a choice. We have selected some pro Open Systems online resources to help you choose. Please consider:

Microsoft sees open source as immediate threat - LinuxWorld 9 Sep 04
Matthew Broersma
"Microsoft sees open source software as a more pervasive threat to its business than ever, threatening the company's market share and potentially forcing price cuts, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)."

Government banks on White-brand Linux apps - ComputerWorld 4 Aug 04
Julian Bajkowski
"In the boldest manifestation of public sector insourcing in Australia to date, federal government agencies are developing their own open source-based applications and will make them available for re-use across the whole of government in the form of generic software application held in code banks."

Virus Designed to Steal Windows Users' Data - The Washington Post 26 Jun 04
Brian Krebs
"..... the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), a division of the Department of Homeland Security ..... recommends that Explorer users consider other browsers that are not affected by the attack, such as Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape and Opera. Mac, Linux and other non-Windows operating systems are immune from this attack. ...."

Australia's history archived in OpenOffice.org - LinuxWorld 14 Oct 03
Steven Deare
"Australia's history will be viewed digitally in the OpenOffice.org office suite as part of plans to preserve the quality and accessibility of government documents."

Q&A re: SCO vs. IBM
By Lawrence Rosen, General Counsel, Open Source Initiative, for the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL).

"Cargill chooses Samsung Contact 7.1 for messaging" - The Age and SMH 2 Oct 02
"Cargill, which has over 97,000 employees in 59 countries, has bought 30,000 Samsung Contact 7.1 Server mailbox licences and 10,000 Samsung Contact 7.5 Web and Windows Clients."

"NOIE to hold Linux briefing for govt executives" - The Age and SMH - 25 Sep 2002
"The National Office of the Information Economy plans to organise a briefing on the use of Linux at the enterprise level for chief information officers and chief technology officers in the public sector."

"Is now the time to exchange Exchange?" - ZDNET - OS - SPECIAL REPORT - 6 Sep 2002
Peter Judge
"With Microsoft Exchange at a critical juncture, competitors line up - including the folk musicians at Samsung Contact."

"Linux-based alternative to Exchange Server comes Down Under" - The Age and SMH - 30 Aug 2002
"Samsung Contact is a HP OpenMail-based alternative to Microsoft Exchange Server. It is used on Linux and Unix platforms."

Opinion: European governments open up, software-wise -  Computer World 13 Jun 02
Phil Hochmuth
"While U.S. businesses begin to take up Linux as a critical part of their business IT infrastructures government agencies "across the pond" are going full bore into Linux and open source software."

Mozilla finally turns 1.0 - CNET News.com 6 Jun 02
Paul Festa
"More than four years after the launch of the Mozilla.org open-source project, Mozilla 1.0 is ready to browse."

Everything but the Hat Hair - LinuxJournal 5 Jun 02
Don Marti
"Oracle, Red Hat and Dell unveiled Unbreakable Linux today, cementing RH's place in the corporate world."

Unbreakable Linux' Unleashed - Silconvalley.internet.com 5 Jun 02
Michael Singer
"REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. -- A trio of high tech CEOs joined forces Wednesday in a move to unseat IBM (NYSE:IBM) as the Linux vendor of choice.
Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison, Dell Computer (NASDAQ:DELL) CEO Michael Dell, and Red Hat (NASDAQ:RHAT) CEO Matthew Szulik said they are fully committing themselves to Linux for the enterprise."

Taiwan opens door to open source - News.com 4 Jun 02
Tiffany Kary
"Taiwan is turning its back on software from the likes of Microsoft to develop its own open-source project, according to a recent report."

German government adopts Linux in IBM deal - ComputerWorld 3 Jun 02
John Blau
"DUSSELDORF, Germany -- The German Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin agreed today to a partnership with IBM for the vendor to supply the Linux operating system to federal, state and local governments. The ministry is joining a small but growing group of European governments, including Finland and France, that are throwing their support behind open standards."

SuSE Denies UnitedLinux Per-Seat License Model; Announces Developer's Version - LinuxToday 3 Jun 02
Brian Proffitt
"Representatives from SuSE Linux are anxious to help clear the air about some misunderstandings they feel have arisen around recent news regarding UnitedLinux. And to accomplish this, they have revealed plans for a developer's release of the new distribution."

Schools Cry Bully Over Microsoft Licensing Fees - PCWorld.com 3 Jun 02
Kim Zetter
"Audit requirements prompt some school districts to consider open-source software."

A first look at StarOffice 6.0 - Everywhere you turn you find the refinement and polish of a mature product - LinuxWorld Jun 02
Joe Barr
"StarOffice is a complete package. It's no longer free as in beer, but it's a good buy, especially if you get it as part of a bundle such as a Linux distribution or Ximian's Red Carpet Express."

A first look at gobeProductive 3.0 - Into the Linux Office market comes yet another impressive contestant. - LinuxWorld June 02
Joe Barr
"When Gobe Software announced it was adding Linux to its stable of supported platforms, I immediately requested a review copy. There wasn't one at the time, but I was recently informed there was an alpha version I could look at if I wished."

Industrial Light & Magic - LinuxJournal 1 Jun 02
Robin Rowe
"Discussing the move to Linux on ILM's renderfarm; with speed and stability comes responsibility.
Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, released in May 2002, is Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) first movie produced after converting its workstations and renderfarm
to Linux last year."

Wish on a star come true - InfoWorld 31 May 02
Maggie Biggs
"WHEN YOU THINK of office productivity suites, the word "choice" probably does not spring to mind. For years, Microsoft Office has had the upper hand and majority market share when it comes to creating and supporting business documents."

UnitedLinux born without a Red Hat - InfoWorld 31 May 02
Dan Neel
"A single Linux operating environment unifying the technology of Linux distributors Caldera International Inc., SuSE Linux AG, TurboLinux Inc., and Connectiva will arrive later this year, according to representatives for each company."

Love: The competition is not Red Hat - ZDNet 30 May 02
Matt Loney 
"In his first interview since the UnitedLinux announcement, Caldera chief executive Ransom Love explains how the project will work, and why the Red Hat question is in fact a red herring."

IBM announces support for uniform version of Linux - IBM 30 May 02
IBM PR
"IBM announced support for the new uniform version of Linux -- known as UnitedLinux  -- across its portfolio of key hardware, software and services offerings."

All Grown Up Now: Linux isn't arriving; it already has arrived in business - Practical-tech.com 29 May 02
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
"I'm fond of saying that Linux has moved from t-shirts and holey jeans to business suits. Now, I have more than the proof of my own eyes. In the May 6th issue of InformationWeek, they published the results of a survey of business users. Guess what? They Loved Linux."

StarOffice 6.0 sparks Sun, Microsoft price contest - ComputerWorld 29 May 02
Lauren Thomsen-Moore
"Is the price gap between Microsoft Office XP and Sun Microsystems' StarOffice 6.0 enough to force users to jump ship and abandon XP?"

Licenses? We don't need no stinking licenses, part 1 - SearchWindowsManageability 28 May 02
The dirty side of software piracy, part 2
Meredith B. Derby
"One-third of software in use today is pirated, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), a worldwide anti-piracy organization. If your company uses illegally downloaded software, the BSA is after you. If they catch you, your company could spend a bundle on new software licenses.
Rather than living in fear, you could stop using licensed software, said Evan Leibovitch, Chairman of the Board of Brampton, Ontario-based Linux Professional Institute. In other words, stop using Windows and go open source, he said. If you do, the BSA can't touch you. "

Basics for Adopting Linux/Open Source - Changing Some Old Ideas - LinuxPlanet 28 May 02
Brian Proffitt
"More and more organizations are moving to Linux and open-source software everyday and there's more reasons than ever to marshall up a proposal to try open-source applications in your organization. Just remember to plan, adapt, and most of all be patient."

REVIEWS - Solaris ups the ante - InfoWorld 24 May 02
Maggie Biggs
"AMONG ENTERPRISE-CLASS operating systems, Sun Microsystems' Solaris already carries a reputation for solidly supporting mission-critical applications. In its latest incarnation, Solaris 9, the OS gives enterprise customers a wide range of additions and improvements that will make a purchase or upgrade highly worthwhile. Key focal points in this release include additional security measures, increased workload manageability, simplified administration, and application scalability and reliability."

Linux the medicine for Microsoft?s Tablet OS - IT News 24 May 02
Ben Woodhead
"Tablet PC OEMs Toshiba and Acer are pounding the streets looking for customers ahead of the October launch of Microsoft's XP-based Tablet PC operating system."

Open-Source Fight Flares At Pentagon - Washington Post 23 May 02
Jonathan Krim
"Microsoft Corp. is aggressively lobbying the Pentagon to squelch its growing use of freely distributed computer software and switch to proprietary systems such as those sold by the software giant, according to officials familiar with the campaign."

Paint retailer brushes up on Linux - BusinessWeek online 23 May 02
Stephen Shankland
"Sherwin-Williams has signed a multimillion-dollar deal to use 9,700 IBM Linux PCs to run operations in its paint retail stores, the companies are set to announce."

Linux Heads to Main St. with Sherwin-Williams - Reuters 23 May 02
"Sherwin-Williams Co. (SHW.N), the No. 1 U.S. paint maker, plans to convert its computers and cash registers in more than 2,500 stores to the upstart operating system in the next year and has hired International Business Machines Corp.'s (IBM.N) services division to do the job."

Why We Love Linux - VARBusiness 17 May 02
 Rob Wright
"Linux has managed to grow from having a few devout followers to becoming an institution. And now solution providers are discovering they can build a viable business around it."

LINUX GOES MAINSTREAM - BusinessWeek 16 May 02
Technology - Special Report

Giant Steps for a Software Upstart - BusinessWeek 16 May 02
Alex Salkever
"Shoppers at Sherwin-Williams (SHW) paint stores in the Cleveland area haven't realized it, but during the month of May, 2002, they've been key participants in an experiment by the Ohio-based paintmaker. In pilot tests, Sherwin-Williams replaced proprietary Unix software on computers that help customers match paint colors -- and that run its stores' retail sales systems -- with cheaper and more versatile Linux software. By May 23, Sherwin-Williams had seen enough: It announced that it will install the Linux operating system in its 2,500 stores in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico."

The Software Counter Culture - BusinessWeek 16 May 02
Alex Salkever
"Small and midsize businesses such as retailers are starting to latch onto Linux, finding greater productivity and lower costs."

Before Red Hat Sees Blue Skies - BusinessWeek Online 16 May 02
Alex Salkever
"Red Hat may be heading for better times, however. The current corporate emphasis on spending tech money wisely, plus a growing consenus that Linux is finally ready for prime time, have made the software acceptable to a much broader swath of the information-technology market."

A Linux installation of enterprise proportions - ComputerWorld 16 May 02
Todd R. Weiss
"Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse needed a new operating system so its stores could deploy new applications and redeploy existing applications and services to take advantage of a Web-based architecture."

Some customers bristle as Microsoft deadline looms - ComputerWorld 16 May 02
Matt Berger
"Changes to Microsoft 's software licensing system that take effect in August continue to face resistance from customers, some of whom said they fear the changes will lead to higher prices and put them under pressure to upgrade their Microsoft software more frequently."

Opera 6.0 for Linux released - ComputerWorld AU 16 May 02
Howard Dahdah
"Opera Software ASA on Wednesday released the final version of its Opera 6.0 for Linux browser."

Sun releases StarOffice 6.0 pricing, to ship May 21 - ComputerWorld AU 16 May 02
Tom Krazit
"StarOffice 6.0 will be available worldwide on May 21 as a low-cost alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s Office, Sun Microsystems Inc. announced Wednesday."

Top five Linux lessons for Windows admins - ZDNet AU 13 may 02
Scott Lowe
"For Windows system administrators, making the leap to introducing Linux systems into their organisations might be a little intimidating at first. But, with a few pointers, administering and supporting Linux is not as difficult as it seems."

TCO:  Linux Delivers On Big Iron - ComputerWorld 13 May 02
Mark Hall
"When Joe Poole looks at his IBM zSeries mainframe, he doesn't just see a powerful system running traditional corporate workloads. He sees a distributed Linux environment that's starting to save his company big bucks."

The Challenge That Is Linux - InformationWeek 6 May 02
Aaron Ricadela
"The number of Linux servers at U.S. companies is growing quickly, faster than Windows servers and Unix licenses, which have become a smaller percentage of the overall server market. Sure, Linux's growth is from a smaller installed base than that of older operating systems. But where's it coming from?"

A First Look at OpenOffice.org 1.0 - Evaluating the OpenOffice.org 1.0 Production Release - Linuxplanet 6 May 02
Rob Reilly
"I'm happy enough with the features and performance of OpenOffice.org that I have removed StarOffice 5.2 and will use OpenOffice.org 1.0 for all my business writing needs."

Desktop penguins - ComputerWorld AU 13 May 02
Russell Pavlicek
"So if someone tells you Linux isn't ready for the office desktop, ask them to make sure their facts are current."

Persistent doubts dog Windows 2000 - Network World 13 May 02
John Fontana
"Windows 2000 shipped more than two years ago, yet network executives are still wary about the operating system, befuddled by its Active Directory and reluctant to use the software for anything more than basic network operations."

The Office Suite That Lets You See Past Redmond - Washington Post 12 May 02
 Rob Pegoraro
"Then, two Wednesdays ago, OpenOffice.org 1.0 arrived, and Microsoft Office's long winning streak may finally screech to a halt. OpenOffice is what many computer users have been waiting and wishing for: It's free, open-source, Office-compatible and cross-platform (Windows, Linux and Solaris, with a Mac OS X version in early development)."

City sees the appeal of Linux - Vnunet.com UK 10 May 02
Sarah Arnott
"London follows New York's open source adoption. The New York financial community is increasingly adopting Linux to cut costs, and London's banks aren't far behind."

Penguin to power 21st century - iTnews Australia 10 May 02
Darren Baguley
"Linux will stand alongside Windows as the dominating operating systems of the 21st century according to IBM's vice president for technology and strategy, Irving Wladawsky-Berger."

A business case for open source - CNET Asia 9 May 02
Michael A. Olson
"Open source is here to stay. It's a valuable tool, and you should learn how to use it. You can be sure that your competitors will."

Microsoft complainant eyes open-source option - ComputerWorld NZ 6 May 02
Andrea Malcolm
"Clendon Feeney, the Auckland law firm that has filed a complaint with the Commerce Commission about Microsoft's licensing practices, is taking steps to end its Microsoft dependency."

More foreign banks switching to Linux - ZDNet (UK) 22 Apr 02
Matt Loney
"In Europe, BP and Banca Commerciale Italiana feature among the big companies that have moved to Linux. According to IBM, as many as 15 banks in central London are running Linux clusters. Korean Air, which now does all its ticketing on Linux, and motorhome manufacturer Winnebago, are high-profile examples. Even IBM is taking big doses of its own medicine."

IBM Australia migrating to Linux - ZDNet AU 15 Apr 02
Rachel Lebihan
"IBM's 10,000 Australian staff are in the process of being moved over to Linux for file and print serving, as part of a cost-efficiency drive that has been in the pipeline since last year."

Linux in the limelight - ZDNet 4 Apr 02
"In just a year, Linux as a server OS has nearly tripled its market share, thanks in no small part to the endorsement of heavyweights IBM and Sun. And market-leading Linux vendor Red Hat is making no bones about its plans to broaden the corporate reach of the OS. Riding the coattails of industry-leading partners and creating its own momentum, Linux is poised to become a force in the datacenter."

Total cost of ownership series revisited - IDG 3 Apr 02
Paul Murphy
"Choose your operating system on earned benefit, not how much it costs."

A strategic comparison of Windows vs. Unix - IDG 18 Oct 01
Paul Murphy
"Most of the Windows versus Unix debate has been cast in terms of which is technically better or which is cheaper, but the real question is, 'Under what circumstances is it smarter to pick one technology rather than the other?"
Comparing TCO. Windows, UNIX, StarOffice, Thin  Clients. Although the study is looking at UNIX many of the same ideas hold for Linux (which is a low cost variant of UNIX) but with still lower costs.

Red Hat Advanced Server: The real enterprise deal? - NewsForge 28 Mar 02
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
"In part they think that because of the customer star power Red Hat trotted out for its press conference. AOL, Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse First Boston --  these aren't the financially ailing Burlington Coat Factory --   are top companies that will be deploying Red Hat Linux at their enterprise heart and not just in branch offices as inexpensive file/print servers. Stacey Quandt, Giga Information Group's Open Source analyst, was impressed by the turnout of top financial companies and the degree of their Linux commitment. She says, "This is not just a marketing announcement, this is a serious announcement.""

Wall Street Embraces Linux - Forbes 27 Mar 02
Lisa DiCarlo
"NEW YORK -  Rick Carey has staked his reputation and his job on a project that he concedes is risky--but with potentially huge returns. He is the person in charge of a top-down implementation of Linux software at Merrill Lynch."

Sun gives Linux an equal billing - Vnunet.com UK 12 Feb 02
Liesbeth Evers
"Sun Microsystems has 'united' the Unix community against Microsoft following a surprise move to support and integrate the Linux operating system across all Sun hardware and software."

Quiet LinuxWorld Belies Rapid Acceptance of Linux - Datamation 4 Feb 02
Dan Orzech
"Visitors to the trade show, which took place at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center, heard how Linux is in use for mission-critical applications at companies like Wall Street powerhouses Salomon Smith Barney and Credit Suisse First Boston, and retailers L.L. Bean, Amazon.com and Boscov's Department Stores."

E*Trade Switches to Linux - Datamation 1 Feb 02
David Aponovich
""E*Trade selected Linux because we have found that open systems and open standards provide an optimal marriage between the best total cost of ownership and the best performance," said Josh Levine, CTO and managing director of Europe, Africa and the Middle East for the financial services provider. "

Ellison says Oracle's 'whole business' to run on Linux - ComputerWorld 31 Jan 02
James Niccolai
"Instead of upgrading three of its older Hewlett-Packard Co. Unix servers, Oracle will move its application server and business software to Linux-based Intel machines later this year, Ellison said. "We'll be on Linux no later than the summer, so we'll be running our whole business on Linux," he said."

IDC forecast shines light on Web services - InfoWorld 3 Jan 02
Ed  Scannell
"MAKING ITS ANNUAL Top 10 IT predictions for 2002, IDC on Thursday forecasted that hype surrounding Web services would reach a fever pitch, that Linux would have a "breakout year," and that IT spending would see a gradual upswing beginning no later than mid-year."

Linux Checks In  At Hotel Chain - ComputerWorld 19 Nov 01
Todd R. Weiss
"One of the oft-heard knocks against Linux is  that it lacks big-time business applications. Try telling that to Cendant Corp., one of the world's largest hotel franchisers."

Studies bolster Linux in enterprises - Network World 19 Sep 01
Phil Hochmuth
"For pro-Linux network administrators trapped in a glass (i.e., Microsoft Windows) house, some latest studies by research firm IDC could offer convincing evidence to take to your CIO, the next time you mention that the network should be running Linux."

COMPANIES SHOULD CONSIDER LIMITED LINUX SERVER DEPLOYMENTS - LinuxWorld 4 Sep 01
IT INSIGHTS FROM META GROUP
"META Group has issued new advice on server-based implementations of the Linux operating system. We now recommend that Global 2000 enterprises consider a limited number of Linux server deployments or pilot projects. With significant resources now being devoted by major vendors to commercialize Linux as a viable operating system for enterprise use, we believe IT organizations should acquire experience with Linux as a potential long-term alternative to Microsoft Windows and Unix offerings."