Introduction

There are many reasons why you, as a CVO organisation, should consider adopting Open Source Software.

• It can give you more reliable systems that cost less: you spend less on software, less on hardware and less on maintenance.

• The systems will have less environmental impact because you can recycle old PCs and run on thin client systems which use less energy.

All the main office applications are available in Open Source versions and they run on Windows or Linux (that's the free alternative to Windows) – email, browsing, word processing, spread sheets, presentation and data base and they can all produce files in international standard formats or in Microsoft Formats(which you will still need for external communications). And in addition you can produce PDF format documents for free.

There may be some applications that you use that only run on Windows but you will usually find there is an open source equivalent for things like Customer Relationship Management, Website development, accounting, desktop publishing, artwork, content management, document management and Virtual Learning Environment.

The problem, as always with change, is deciding when to give Open Source a try or switch to it because it will take some effort and will cause some disruption. The answer is to do it when you are making changes for other reasons. So you should consider switching some or all of your systems to Open Source Software if

• you are rebuilding your website

• you are rebuilding your network to client server

• you are about to throw away some old PCs

• you are out to tender for new systems – ask for quotes to include OSS components – they should be cheaper as your supplier will be getting them for free.

• you are planning a move to Vista – it requires more memory and power so more expensive PC and more impact on the environment. Its also different so you will have to retrain your techies and your users.

• you have run out of IT budget

• you want to avoid lock-in – that is finding there is a high cost to switching supplier and software products in the future.

If you want to understand these arguments in more detail please read the paper (TBA) and see the a copy of the presentation given to the Charities Finance Directors Group on 1^st March 2007

Other organisations helping you adopt Open Source.

• The ICT Hub www.icthub.org.uk has been set up by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations(NCVO) to help charities, particularly small charities, make best use of ICT ( proprietary and open source). It has some useful advice on adoption of Open Source – from home page select “software” then “open source” to find papers at www.icthubknowledgebase.org.uk/index.php?id=4&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=230&cHash=abce698186 and www.icthubknowledgebase.org.uk/opensourceonthemap

• Seeds for change. http://seedsforchange.org.uk In addition to capacity building and group process skills, Seeds for Change also provide ICT support. They specialise in training, support and information about using Free & Open Source Software (like Linux, OpenOffice and Firefox). They have detailed advice on re-using old computers at http://seedsforchange.org.uk/free/computer . Their own case study of using OSS and old computers is described at http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39166840,00.htm

• net:gain helps VCO leaders take control of strategic planning and apply it to technology see using three day workshops www.net-gain.org.uk . They are planning to include advice on adopting Open Source Software.

Raising money with Open Source software

You can offer free software to run on Windows Desktop as a reward. TheOpenCD is a collection of high quality Free and Open Source Software. The programs run in Windows and cover the most common tasks such as word processing, presentations, e-mail, web browsing, web design, and image manipulation. We include only the highest quality programs, which have been carefully tested for stability and which we consider appropriate for a wide audience. Read more about TheOpenCD. http://www.theopencd.org/

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