E-Commerce Blog

The sour economy is causing industries and individuals alike to tighten their belts in just about all areas of spending, including software. Downloading free and low-cost open source software is often an attractive alternative to proprietary commercial products. The potential for enterprises and other users switching from high-priced software to open source alternatives poses a new opportunity for open source developers. Can open source meet this new niche of use in response to the economic slide industries are facing?

Excerpt from:
Open Source in a Down Economy: The Money Race Is On

In some respects, the market for Web-based applications resembles a crowded, noisy and confused bazaar. It’s difficult to get a good wide-angle view of all available options. Those there to sell wares often have a hard time finding and securing the best place to set up shop, and those shopping for the right Web app to implement for any given task are often left wondering whether a better solution might be found if they take more time and look around more corners.

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The Quest for a One-Stop On-Demand Web App Shop

Microsoft is bumping up its monetary investment in its controversial partnership with Novell. Styling the deal as a so-called incremental investment increase, Microsoft will buy up to $100 million in Suse Linux Enterprise Server support certificates. The certificates are sold and exchanged for IT support from Novell for its Suse Linux Enterprise Server. Microsoft and Novell struck their deal in November 2006 in an effort to boost interoperability between Microsoft’s applications and Novell’s open source operating system.

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Microsoft Pumps Another $100M Into Novell Deal

Though their IT needs are fundamentally the same as larger organizations, small and medium-sized business owners may feel particularly challenged when it comes to rolling out a new operating system. The increasing complexity of IT system architectures combined with a relative shortfall of resources — capital, IT expertise, etc. — can make implementing a new or upgraded OS an anxiety-ridden experience. “SMBs have many of the same challenges as enterprises,” said Jeff Carlat, director of ESS software at HP.

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OS Implementations: A Guide for SMBs

The Open Source Census, a collaborative project initiated by OpenLogic to collect and share quantitative data on the use of open source software, has revealed more than 220,000 open source packages and project installations on business hard drives. The census now aims to take a deeper look into open source products used by enterprise adopters. The project has also revealed a new set of sponsors, among which is Microsoft. As this third phase of the ongoing open source census begins, the ranks of census membership are growing significantly, according to organizers.

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Open Source Census Broadens Its Mission