In the First article of this series, I wrote about what Open Source Software (OSS) and why it can be superior to proprietary software. OSS offers more security and reliability. This this part, I will introduce you to some OSS applications that you can put to use in your firm today. All the applications discussed have a few things in common: 1) They are all free as in free speech and free as in free beer, 2) they all have a good reputation; 3) They all work on Linux, Windows, and Mac.

Firefox

The first article this series ended with a mention of the Firefox Web Browser. I'll talk a little more about it in this part. If you haven't tried it yet, try it out today. Firefox is available for download at no cost. Firefox has a better record than Internet Explorer when it comes to security. The Firefox source code has been around longer than IE has, making it stronger, faster, and more secure. Firefox also offers better compliance with web standards, giving you a more consistent experience throughout the web. It is true that some websites will not work with Firefox, but don't blame Firefox, blame the developers of the website.

Perhaps the best part about Firefox is that you can download dozens of helpful add-ons (an add-on is additional program code that adds functionality to Firefox). IE has very few available add-ons due to its closed-source model. But the Firefox add-ons are almost countless. You can run an add-on to block those annoying web advertisements you see on the web. There is also an add-on to allow you to edit your own blog using Firefox, or you can also synchronize all of your bookmarks with all of your other computers. At present, the number of add-ons on the Mozilla website was just under 2,000. And there are plenty more on other websites.  Personally, I use an add-on RSS reader (NewsFox), an add-on chat client (Chatzilla), and an add-on FTP client (FireFTP).  The ability to add this functionality to a web browser means I don't have to run four different applications to do all of these things.

OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org (OOo) is more than just a website, it is a complete office productivity suite that rivals Microsoft's Office. OOo comprises a word processor, spreadsheet program, database program, presentation program, a drawing program, and even a math program.  They all work on Windows and Linux, and there is also a port to Mac.

Sun Microsystems develops OOo, which is based on its propriety Sun Office suite. But don't think that OOo is just a watered-down program, it is quite robust. The abilities of OOo easily rivals MS Office. In fact, I am using it to compose this series of articles. It is true that MS Office has a few features that OOo lacks, but most users won't notice.  That's because OOo will meet the requirements of 95% of law firms. Chances are you fit in this category.

The availability of OOo at no cost can save heaps of money over a proprietary office suite. Think of how many employees you have who will require a separate license to use MS Office. But you can install OOo on as many computers as you want—without paying extra fees.

You don't need to worry about file format compatibility with OOo. It has the ability to open and save documents in Microsoft's proprietary .doc format. Furthermore, saving files in pdf format is a snap. Learning OOo is easy too, the interface looks familiar to all MS Office users. And, like Firefox, numerous add-ons are available that add additional features.  It also supports macro functionality.

I can't think of many reasons not to use OOo.  OOo does currently lack a grammar checker.  But that feature is in the works, so keep your eyes open for that feature in a later release.  Speaking of releases, OOo has new releases every few months rather than every few years like its proprietary counterparts.

Try it, and you will find it easy to learn. You have nothing to lose but a little of your time.

The GIMP

The GIMP is an open source photo editing program that works on Linux, Windows and Mac. It is meant to compete with the ubiquitous, and proprietary, PhotoShop.  There are many who claim that the GIMP is better than PhotoShop, and many who claim the opposite.  It doesn't matter much.  For those of us who are not professional photographers or graphic designers, the GIMP is an excellent tool.  It features a full array of drawing tools, image manipulation, layers, and supports many image formats.  In case you don't like the GIMP's user interface, you can also try GIMPshop , which is aimed at making the interface more familiar to PhotoShop users.

Thunderbird, Sunbird

Mozilla doesn't limit itself to a web browser, they have other projects too.  One such project is thte Thunderbird e-mail client.  Being cross-platform, it is a popular replacement for MS Outlook.  With Thunderbird, Mozilla brings you the same easy of use, security, and flexibility they bring to Firefox. If you want more than an e-mail client, you can also try Sunbird, an easy to use calendar application.  Sunbird has some great features, such as the ability to sync with Google Calendar and can import and export in several formats.

Scribus

For those who do your own desktop publishing, Scribus offers a lot of functionality and ease of use.  Natively developed on Linux, it has ports for Windows and Mac so all users can benefit from it.  Scribus can be used to build newsletters, posters, corporate training manuals, business cards, and more.  It can also be used to create interactive pdf forms.  Scribus has the ability to output to professional quality image setting equipment, so you can submit  your files to a professional printer without having to do any reformatting.

That should be enough to get your started with open source software.  Try these programs and I think you will find the freedom that comes with FOSS very refreshing.