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.