Linux

    Linux? What's Linux? To understand what Linux is you have to understand a few other terms first.
 
Operating System aka OS. An operating system is the software that runs on your computer and talks to the machine and the programs you run on your computer. Operating systems are available in different versions for different platforms. A platform is a family of operating systems. They usually run on specific types of hardware (computer systems). Windows is a platform. Macintosh is a platform. Linux is a platform. Unix is a platform. Of course its not really that simple. Linux and Macintosh are variations of Unix. And Linux has several variations as well. These are sort of like versions - but they may be by different companies or organizations.
 
So Linux is a platform. Linux is usually installed on PC computers - the kind you run Windows on. There are many varieties of Linux. Some of the most popular are RedHat, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Suse.  These are operating systems. Why should you consider Linux? Here are a few good reasons why non-profits and churches should look at Linux:
 

• Linux now comes with user-friendly graphical interfaces.
• Linux is free or cheap. You can usually download it for free or buy a boxed version with extra tools for less than a new copy of Windows.
• Linux is extremely frugal - it requires less RAM and less hard drive space than Windows. That means you can use it on older computers rather than upgrading.
• There are free and cheap programs available for Linux like Firefox for web browsing and Open Office for office software.
• There are lots of programs available for Linux. Find what you need here.
• Linux is open source*.
• Linux is more secure than Windows and is less prone to get viruses and spyware

*Open source means that no one company owns the source code. It is subject to particular kind of license called an open source license that allows you to use and change the code (usually you are required to contribute your changes back to the community) and many developers can work — and have worked — on it. No, that's not as scary as it sounds. Each OS has an organization or company as well as a large developer community behind it that makes sure that the software that is realeased to the public is solid. There are company owned versions of Linux and Unix as well. For instance, Novell owns the enterprise version of Suse. But there is also an open source version known as  "Open Suse."
 
Some form of Linux or Unix runs most of the world's web-servers — including ours —because it's robust and stable and secure.
Yes, we can help you consider alternatives to Windows as a way to save money and stay secure. Coming up - why should consider the Mac OS as well.