Open Source Software - A Productive Tool
Sean Rattigan investigates the components of Open Source Software that make it such an attractive alternative to Microsoft
What are Productivity Tools?
A useful definition of ‘productivity tools’ is that they are: A collection of tools, consisting of business processes, hardware or software (or a combination of these) that individuals and organisations may use to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity; may be used to collaborate in the construction of enhanced models or methods, to prepare publications and improve communication.
In terms of software, the primary productivity tools that we use in training and business is currently, Microsoft Office, the quintessential productivity suite. Do we accept the paradigm that there are no alternatives available? What can shake up the status quo?
Before we ask “do we even need to install an office suite?”, let us consider some of the factors to be borne in mind when deciding whether or not to migrate to new software, including:
l Do we NEED to upgrade/change and if so, why?
l Will it improve productivity and what criteria will we use in our selection process?
l How will we measure the return on investment (ROI)?
What are the options available?
A caveat as to decision making criteria - I read once about a couple, John and Mary, who were trying to decide on a new car. John had always driven a Toyota but wanted to be open to other possibilities. Having listed the criteria upon which to base their decision, they began awarding points under the various headings to a range of models. After totting up the scores, the winner was... the Volkswagen. “That can’t be right,” uttered John as he began to re-jig the weightings in his spreadsheet. After correcting some obvious errors, the top scoring car was... the Toyota! “That’s better- I knew there was something wrong” smiles John.
Unfortunately, we often make up our minds BEFORE we begin an evaluation, and then look for reasons to support our initial point of view, whether it proves to be right or wrong!
Often the most popular reason cited for upgrading is that “the old PCs are just too slow and we need new ones”. Of course, this reasoning is based more on the operation of, or at least the perception of the operation of the hardware. If the business decides to purchase new PCs, they will often purchase a set of new software licenses also, and why not get the latest version of all of the applications that we currently use?
Improvements in productivity can be difficult to measure and will be unique to the organisation. However, there may be some features of the software that will speed up certain operations, or perhaps there are compatibility issues with other users? What about the learning curve? Will it take long to get 'up to speed'?
ROI is used to compare returns on investments where the money gained/lost, or the money invested, are not easily compared using monetary values. For instance, a €1,000 investment that earns €50 in interest (or say our productivity improves with a resultant value of €50) obviously generates more than a €100 investment that earns €20 in interest, but the €100 investment earns a higher return on investment.
In terms of software, the options available again depend on what you need versus what is available. Apple seem to have given up on the idea of competing with Microsoft in the Office suite arena, at least for the moment. Corel offer WordPerfect® Office X3. It offers word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and email solutions. One of its stated selling points is compatibility with MS Office but at 'a much lower cost'- US$144.99 (about €106 at current exchange rates). This compares favourably with the prices found at dabs.ie for MS Office Professional, priced at €561.99 and MS Office Home and Student 2007: €138.47.
However, there is now a viable - and free - alternative which is gaining popularity: the www.openoffice.org Office suite which is an open source project, sponsored by Sun Microsystems.
What are the components of Open Office?
Some of the applications have almost direct MS cousins. One difference that stands out is the ability to publish in Portable Document Format (.pdf) at the click of a button, rather than purchase proprietary software to make pdfs.
Writer is an alternative to Word. It has everything you would expect from a modern, fully equipped word processor or desktop publisher. It's simple enough for a quick memo, powerful enough to create complete books with contents, diagrams, indexes, etc. Text frames and linking give you the power to tackle desktop publishing tasks for newsletters, flyers, etc. Another nice touch is Writer's html export to the web. One can save documents in OpenDocument format (odf), or as a .doc. Writer can read all your old Microsoft Word documents, as well as save your work in Microsoft Word format for sending to people who are still locked into Microsoft products.
Calc is a spreadsheet program akin to MS Excel. Newcomers find it intuitive and easy to learn; professional data miners and number crunchers will appreciate the comprehensive range of advanced functions. Many of the features Excel users are familiar with are similarly implemented. You are free to use your old MS Excel spreadsheets, or save your work in Excel format for sending to people who are still locked into Microsoft products.
Impress is quite similar to MS PowerPoint. It is a tool for creating multimedia presentations. It has a complete range of easy-to-use drawing and diagramming tools to spice up your presentation. Slide show Animation and Effects bring your presentation to life. Again, you are free to use your old Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, or save your work in PowerPoint format for sending to people who are still locked into Microsoft products. A very nice feature is the ability to create Flash (.swf) versions of your presentations for publication on the web.
Base is a database application which MS Access users may wish to try out. It enables you to manipulate database data seamlessly within OpenOffice.org. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, either using your own database or Base’s own built-in HSQL database engine. It supports many popular databases such as Adabas D, ADO, Microsoft Access and MySQL.
Draw offers utilities similar to what one will find in the “Drawing” toolbar in MS Word, and indeed it can be activated from the Writer application. It may be used to draw anything from a quick sketch to a complex plan. Sophisticated rendering allow you to create photorealistic images with your own texture, lighting effects, transparency, perspective, and so on.
What about an e-mail client?
Although not part of the openoffice.org package, a popular (free) mail client is Thunderbird, a product of the Mozilla Corporation. Some users may already be familiar with their browser- the award winning Firefox. This email package allows direct import of your MS Outlook files and folders, and can be used in much the same way. Those interested in looking at this in more detail check it out at the homepage: http://en.www.mozilla.com/en/thunderbird/
Interesting! So what are the implications of these applications on the traditional setup of our PCs and are such applications widely used?
The most significant implication is that the majority of officer workers, educators, trainers and students use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and very likely a version of Outlook. If we replace these products with Open Source alternatives, and do not need other proprietary software that only runs on Windows, then do we need the Windows Operating System (OS) at all? Well... the short answer is no. All of the above applications will work equally well on a Linux based computer. Linux is a free alternative operating system to Windows and has a number of advantages- in fact Microsoft used to host their website on a Linux server until this fact became somewhat embarrassing and the ceased to do so.
Linux has been the main challenger to Windows for a number of years now, and with the advent of Ubuntu as well as the well established Red Hat, many feel that the time has come for David to challenge Goliath.
In May this year, Dell announced three consumer systems with the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux distribution factory installed. London-based firm Canonical, the lead sponsor of the Ubuntu project, will ensure that the software works on Dell PCs. Michael Dell, the founder, chairman and chief executive of Dell, is himself an Ubuntu user. He has the operating system installed on a high-end Dell Precision M90 laptop he uses at home.
Is this a global phenomenon?
Perhaps we are slow to catch on? Many countries have already begun Linux migrations over the past number of months. In February, at the Asia Open Source Software Symposium in Denpasar, Indonesia, it was announced that the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Information Service Industry had quietly been a long time user of open source. The governments of Cambodia, China, Cuba, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Taiwan also announced a switch.
So how have Microsoft responded?
While in Beijing in April, Bill Gates promised to offer a $3 Microsoft software package to poor students both in developing and developed countries. Addressing the Microsoft Government Leader Forum in Beijing, he said the world's largest software company aims to increase the number of people with access to computers from the one billion today to two billion by 2015. Coincidentally (or not?) this was at the same time that Ubuntu 7.04 was released and when Dell was receiving considerable demand for this OS.
Starting from the second half of this year, Microsoft will provide its software, including Windows XP Starter, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Math 3.0, Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office and Windows Live Mail desktop, all for $3. Countries interested in the programme, however, will have to pay at least half of the cost of the computers for the students.
WOW! Does this suggest that the software giant is worried? They have already diversified into the Gaming Market with the Xbox and are purchasing a range of smaller software companies, such as Navision, an ERP vendor in competition with SAP.
So we can have options on productivity tools such as office suites, and perhaps even on the OS. What else can we do?
You may have heard about Web2.0. Webopedia defines Web2.0 as: “the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online. Web 2.0 basically refers to the transition from static HTML Web pages to a more dynamic Web that is more organized and is based on serving Web applications to users. Other improved functionality of Web 2.0 includes open communication with an emphasis on Web-based communities of users, and more open sharing of information. Over time Web 2.0 has been used more as a marketing term than a computer-science-based term. Blogs, wikis, and Web services are all seen as components of Web 2.0.”
One of the nuggets of Web2.0 is that one does not need to have applications installed on the PC at all. The only requirement is an OS and web browser. This means that the user only requires good connectivity and allows a lower spec (CPU, memory and hard drive space) on their PC or laptop. Google have entered the fray with Google Office but antagonised Microsoft much earlier than this with Google Desktop. A company which has positioned itself much better for the emerging market may be zoho.com.
“Zoho offers Office Suite, which includes Writer, Projects, Sheet, CRM, Show, Creator, Wiki, Planner, Suite, Notebook, Chat, Meeting and Mail. All products are offered through dynamic web pages that allow for rich online applications.”
Some of the components of the suite include Zoho Writer, (word processor), Zoho Sheet (Spreadsheet), Zoho Show (Presentations) Zoho Meeting (web conferencing), Zoho Projects (project management), Zoho CRM (customer relationship management), Zoho Creator (Database) and Zoho Planner (to-dos, reminders) to name most of them! None of these require any installation.
Conclusion
My aim has not been to “convert” you to open source, but to introduce the idea that there are alternatives available. They may not be to everyone’s taste but I believe that CHOICE is extremely important. For those that are shaking their heads worried about detrimental effects of Windows alternatives in the training and educational arena, remember that there are also huge opportunities available to those that take up the gauntlet. Windows is as embedded in our professional lives as much as agriculture was once embedded in our economy. Using open source software allows us to provide students with all of the software on a CD without infringing intellectual property laws. Nothing is more certain than the fact than nothing is certain. The future is unwritten and will most likely be somewhere in between all online and installed applications- it may or may not be open source, but it is definitely open.
