Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Learn more about open source accounting applications with Ron Bongo and know how the open source concept can be used to make your business processes easier and more optimized.
This is the final installation on our discussion about open source accounting applications, and this time we will be tackling some of the issues and concerns that Financial and Accounting managers as well as Certified Public Accountants would be interested to learn more about. These issues include items concerning the compatibility, functionality, pricing, software licensing, stability,maintenance costs and technical support related to open source accounting applications.
One area is on the issue of importance of open source accounting systems to professionals and enterprises. Open source addresses the need by businesses to look for new ways on how they can have business processes operating optimally and efficiently. Many of these open source applications have gained stability and maturity while offering much better functionality and compatibility to existing systems than their more expensive and proprietary counterparts. With these strengths open source applications are showcasing, venture capital is flowing into the community further boosting development.
Although not yet as widespread as proprietary systems, open source accounting software applications are slowly being adopted into the mainstream commercial enterprise and industrial market and it would only be a matter of time before it can gain even bigger market share. Many of these open source accounting software are compatible and can run on most stable servers and operating systems, increasing stability of use even with multiple users. Mature systems that are leading in this industry have penetrated the market and are offering support and training, as well as consultation to meet specific requirements needed for customization with existing enterprise systems.
Cost is primary factor why enterprises are slowly moving to open source accounting software as the purchase itself for the system is basically free of charge or can be acquired at a very low cost. The bulk of expenses would focus on the support, consultation and training that is needed during migration. Still,savings are primarily significantly lower than most proprietary software.Although many of these open source applications still lack in the area of audit modules, further development by the community are making waves in this regard and would soon be integrated into the mainstream.
Come back here to learn more about the open source concept and learn how its benefits can help your business or profession as brought to you by Ron Bongo.
Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Learn
more about open source accounting applications with Ron
Bongo and know how the open source concept can be used to make your
business processes easier and more optimized.
Despite
the allures of using open source accounting software for your business seems
like a very cost-effective alternative, there are certain considerations that
prospective users should be made well aware of. First and foremost is the availability
of technical support associated with the application. The company should first
consider is this would be easily accessible or if there will be a need to rely
on third parties.
Another
consideration to take is whether resources and time are available for the
company’s staff to undergo training on the use of the new application and how
long would the learning curve be. Aside from that, there may be a need for
additional resources to convert some if not all existing data that the company
has in order to use the new application. This would entail additional cost on
the part of the company, although generally this would be a lot lower as a
whole compared to getting the services of major accounting software firms.
The
growing popularity of open source accounting software in the business community
is quite inevitable due to its more cost-effective offerings, if not for the
high quality of applications and innovative development. Companies contemplating
on making a switch to open source applications should weight all the pros and
cons and make a detailed analysis of their systems before jumping into the
bandwagon. Aside from that, businesses should be keen in keeping track of
updates in this arena as most applications would surely expand as technologies
grow more improved and stabilized in the years to come.
Come back here to learn more about the open source concept
and learn how its benefits can help your business or profession as brought to
you by Ron
Bongo.
Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Learn
more about the top open source accounting applications with Ron
Bongo and know how the open source concept can be used to make your
business processes easier and more optimized.
Accounting
is one of the most important elements in any business and is for this reason
why professionals and business owners invest in various accounting software to
help them keep track of their finances in a quick, convenient and accurate
manner. However, some of these commercially available paid software
applications are rather cost prohibitive particularly for start-up small businesses
and professionals just new in their trade.
The
emergence of open source accounting software have provided businesses and
professionals with a viable and more cost-effective alternative to conventional
paid applications and many have started to migrate to these open source
resources for their accounting needs. Aside from being spared from paying the
cost-prohibitive licensing fees, users of open source accounting software can
expect support from a collaborative community all contributing to make these
applications better for all to enjoy.
The
following is a listing of some of the considerations users should check out
before they make their selection of open source accounting software for their
business or professional needs. It would be wise for users to check these
requirements out to ensure that they get the most from these applications.
*
The feature set of the open source application should support all common
accounting system requirements
*
Even though licensing fees are waived for these open source applications,
technical and maintenance support should be commercially available to ensure
that you’ll receive the help you need for any problems or issues that you may
encounter during use
*
Aside from maintenance and technical support, the user should also receive
professional documentation for use as reference by the user
*
There should also be available trainings and workshops that users can attend
online or through physical seminars and training sessions
*
Updates, upgrades and new releases should always be available from the
collaborative community which existing users can get full access to
*
Aside from the collaborative community of developers, the application should
also have a support community of users where ideas, bugs, techniques and other
relevant information can be shared for all to use
Come back here to learn more about the open source concept
and learn how its benefits can help your business or profession as brought to
you by Ron
Bongo.
Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Learn
more about the top open source security application with Ron
Bongo and know how the open source concept can be used to make your
business processes easier and more secure.
One of the most important aspects for any enterprise is the
security of their systems. In a virtual world where technological advances have
brought online capabilities to new heights, security threats to these systems
have also intensified. It is for this reason why system managers and business
owners need to beef up their tools to protect their system and their business
from external threats.
In this regard, open source security applications can
provide cost-effective options for small businesses and enterprises instead of
spending considerable amounts of proprietary security products. Aside from the
cost, open source applications have better timeliness as they can be deployed much
readily and updated much more regularly. However, should enterprises need
additional features or support, they would have no commercial entity to put
pressure on or demand such additional services. They would have no choice but
to course through the community of developers behind the particular open source
application project.
Still, the advantages of using open source security
applications far outweigh some of the known inconveniences with such settings. The
following describes a brief overview of some of the more popular open source
security tools that are readily available for use.
* OpenSSL – This
is a great open source application that provides basic security options for
enterprises looking for secure and reliable transactions. The application is
good enough for commercial grade and is compatible to operate with digital
certificates issued by Verisign, GoDaddy, Thawte and other public certificate
authorities.
* OpenSSH – For
remote connectivity, OpenSSH is the application package that is highly
recommended by experts. This application lets system administrators and other
designated users to open a command shell via a safe, secure and easy to use
connection with a remote host. Instead of passwords, public keys can be used in
tandem.
* Nessus – Part of
maintaining your system’s security is to perform regular scanning for
vulnerabilities, and Nessus is one of the top open-source applications that can
be used for this purpose and is a good alternative for commercial vulnerability
management applications available in the market. The application uses scans
ports and starts to identify the operating system and existing services. Once
it detects some anomalies, it will perform a series of tests and generates a
report to the administrator all findings.
* Nmap / Nagios –
This application is used to monitor networks to see what hosts are remotely
connected and what operating systems and other services are in operation. It
checks these ports for any services that violate policies and to maintain that
only approved services are running within the system. Another good open source
network monitoring application is the Nagios that allows administrators to
monitor all hardware and other equipments connected to the network, as well as
monitor connected electronic devices for proper functioning.
*
IPTables / IPFW – If a firewall is needed for
particular server ports, these two open source applications can do a good job
in rejecting of accepting connections. These applications can also redirect
traffic or it can serve as a gateway host for dedicated networks such as VoIP
systems. Should there be suspicious packets received, these applications logs
and tags these packets for further analysis by another system that detects
potential intrusions.
* ClamAV /
SpamAssasin – There are a growing number of open-source antivirus and
antispam applications which includes ClamAV and SpamAssasin as the most widely
used. What makes these open source applications more effective is the community
of developers behind the applications that makes them more accurate and more up
to date virus definitions.
Come back here to learn more about the open source concept
and learn how its benefits can help your business or profession as brought to
you by Ron
Bongo.

Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Learn
more about the proper definition for Open Source with Ron
Bongo and know how the open source concept can be used to reach out to more
people and create even greater awareness.
For
many people, the concept of Open Source simply means ready access to the source
code of an application however; the concept goes beyond that particularly in
the area of distribution and use. There is a clear and definite definition for
Open Source from which new and upcoming projects must fully comply with.
This
Open Source Definition or OSD is handled and maintained by the Open Source
Initiative, a reviewing body tasked by the open source community to confirm and
approve licenses if they are OSD compliant. On top of that, the OSI is also
involved with other activities and programs of the open source community with
the aim on creating more awareness on how the development of open source and
non-proprietary software can provide various advantages for users worldwide.
The following is a summary of the criteria used in the Open Source Definition as outlined by the OSI from where the terms of distribution, licensing and use of open source software.
*
Free Redistribution – defines that no royalty fee is required from the
redistribution of the software as a component of an aggregate distribution of
programs from other sources
*
Source Code – inclusion of the source codes during distribution and obtainable
without charge, and in a preferred form that can be modified by programmers /
developers
*
Derived Works – the license allows for modifications and derivations of other
works
*
No discrimination against persons or groups
*
No discrimination against fields of endeavor
*
Distribution of License – all rights applicable to the program is also
applicable to the recipient of redistribution
*
License must not be specific to a product
*
License must not restrict other software
* License must be technology neutral
Come back here to learn more about the open source concept
and learn how its benefits can help your business or profession as brought to
you by Ron
Bongo.
Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Learn
more about the latest in climate change awareness with Ron
Bongo and know how the open source concept can be used to reach out to more
people and create even greater awareness.
The wide variety and versatility of the
open source model continue to be all-encompassing and has proven to be
substantial in providing a positive impact on various aspects of society – and even
the environment. One great example in recent occurrence is the work being done
at Climate Lab, which is a non-profit organization that aims to use open source
tools and concepts to collaborate, organize, display and syndicate data that
was generated by scientists focused on climate change – and to disseminate this
information, via open source of course, to the world.
The people at Climate Lab believes that
climate change is a serious, man-made problem that would have negative
implications to the world – so it is vital to bring these facts and information
for ready and easy access by the global masses. They would do this through the
application of various open source collaboration platforms, particularly
MindTouch. With MindTouch, data can be easily collected or imported and then
readily syndicated throughout the whole Climate Lab network. On top of that, every data and information
generated would be open source themselves, so that people can help spread the
word by republishing or syndicating this information to other networks – to people
who need it and should be informed.
Come back here to learn more about the benefits of open
source and how it can help your business or profession as brought to you by Ron
Bongo.
Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Learn
more about web browsers with Ron
Bongo and know how open source elements have become part of these widely
used applications.
As open source
applications are slowly moving into mainstream use in practically all popular
computer operating system available, computer users wanting to get the most
from their web browsing experience now have a wide variety of web browsers to
choose from. Opensourcesoftwarenews.com presented a basic listing of the 5
major web browsers available for users – all aimed at enabling computer users
to surf the net.
Although there
are several elements in each web browser that are common to most, some features
are unique and available to only a few. While most are proprietary, others
operate under open source licenses or have some open source elements as part of
the overall development of the particular browser. Users should try to explore
each feature that the web browser provide to have a clear understanding of what
the application can do for their needs. The following is a brief description of
these leading web browsers:
* Internet
Explorer – the most widely used web browser and a default application in the
Windows operating system. Features are available enabling users to customize
their browsers, as well as synchronization features between other browsers,
documents and even mobile devices. Tabs can be saved and viewed even while
closed. It also offers parental control tools to filter out what can be browsed
and viewed by children. Email and telephony are also well-supported.
* Mozilla
Firefox – the most widely used free and open source web browser and second only
to IE in the overall popularity rankings. The browser is compatible with MAC,
Linux, Windows and other operating systems
and features tab browsing, customization, spell check, live bookmarks,
private browsing, parental controls, geolocation, and the Seamless Download
Manager for fast and pop-up free downloads. It’s open source community of
developers have come up with a wide variety of add-ons which can be easily activated
and used in the browser.
* Google Chrome –
based on the open source Chromium project which was released under a BSD
license, Chrome is released with the distinctive Google branding. The browser
is compatible with Linux, Mac OS X and Windows operating systems and offers a
wide variety of features including customization, synchronization, thumbnail
preview and as Seamless Download Manager. The browser however, does not have
parental controls.
* Opera – is a
proprietary software for web browsing but has open-source components and is
compatible with MAC and Windows operating systems. It also has the same
thumbnail preview, tab browsing, synchronization, seamless download manager and
other features similar to other browsers, but it also offers other features
that are not available with other web browser applications. These include the
Mouse Gestures which is similar to shortcut keys but this time is done using
mouse movements. It also features Voice Interaction which is an innovative way
of communication between the browser and the user. It does not have parental
controls.
* Apple Safari –
this is the proprietary and default browser of Apple’s Mac OS X operating
system, as well as the iPhone OS. It does have some components released under
GNU and LGPL and is compatible not only with MAC, but with Windows operating
systems as well. It also has similar features with other systems such as the
ability to save tabs, spell check as well as customization however, there are
not parental controls provided.
Come back here to learn more about the
benefits of open source and how it can help your business or profession as
brought to you by Ron
Bongo.
Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Go back to basics with Ron
Bongo as you learn why developers are motivated to join the open source
movement.
In a study
conducted in 2002, it was determined that approximately 58% of a particular
open source community is composed of IT professionals, particular programmers
or system administrators that are already experienced in the industry for an
average of 11 years. Although open source development was likened described in
its basic sense as software development without the politics involved in
traditional avenues, there are various reasons why these developers were
motivated to join the community in the first place.
The
following describes the reasons why members of the open source development
community have participated in the movement at all without any potential
monetary benefits -- except for coming up with a product that they could use
and enjoy. The list below is based on a study conducted by Novell Inc and is
arranged based on the number of respondents choosing a particular reason or
sets of reasons
* Intellectually
Stimulating (44.9%)
* A way to
improve their own skills (41.3%)
* Work
functionality (33.8%)
* They
believe that source codes should be open to all (33.1%)
* Non-work
functionality (29.7%)
* They feel
it’s obligation to participate because of their own use of the application
(28.5%)
* A Chance
to work with an excellent team of talented developers (20.3%)
* Will give
them professional status (17.5%)
* A way to
beat or get back at expensive proprietary software (11.1%)
* Attracted
by the concept and reputation of the open source movement (11.0%)
* License
of use forced them to participate (0.2%)
* Others
(16.3%)
Come back
here to learn more about the benefits of open source and how it can help your
business or profession as brought to you by Ron
Bongo.
Ron Bongo here once more to give you more insights on business and how you could learn more about open source concepts.

Go back to basics with Ron Bongo as you learn more about the Open Source Paradigm.
With all the great developments going on with the open source movement (well, even Microsoft has softened its heart and jumped into the bandwagon), we must stop for a while and go back to basics to let others catch up, particularly in understanding one of the most important aspects of all -- the Open Source Paradigm.
Unlike a corporate in-house application development paradigm, or even an outsourced contract development paradigm, the Open Source paradigm involves the coalition of multiple entities: the original developer, other individuals, companies,academics, and other institutions -- all working together to develop an improved final product with features that would interest all.
The initial development is usually done by a single developer or his team and once a working product is completed, it would then be released for other developers and institutions to see. These other entities would then try the basic software and if they find it useful for their purposes and have the incentive to use the application, they could then extend or work with the software to add additional features or enhancements which they find suitable for the application.
The cost of development or adding a new feature is much smaller than shouldering the total developmental cost on your own. The only risk involved is when the new feature would not merge with the main body of the original source code, or when members in the community find the new feature inappropriate or not useful for end users. Should some members leave the community, others members and team can continue with the project from where others have left off.
This sharing of cost, risks and responsibilities in the Open Source paradigm creates and fosters a community of developers and even end-users working directly and making contributions in the development of a project. This communal collaborations result in high-quality products and applications that everyone would find useful and would benefit all.
Come back here to learn more about the benefits of open source and how it can help your business or profession as brought to you by Ron Bongo.