Open Source Solutions for Small Business Problems [With CDROM]

by J. Locke and John Locke

Ninety percent of business employers in the United States are small, and every day most of these businesses have to deal with common computing problems such as tracking electronic documents,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584503203
• ISBN13: 9781584503200
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Delmar Thomson Learning
• Length: 556 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Provides a range of software for Windows

Ninety percent of companies in America quality as small businesses but have to deal with large-business headaches ranging from common computer programs, to management issues, to reducing spam. Consultant John Locke's Open Source Solutions For Small Business Problems is the key to understanding the operational problems most small businesses share; from identifying good open source software for solutions to these issues to understanding their strengths and weaknesses. Volume 1.2 of an accompanying 'Open CD' provides a range of software for Windows, essays, and a short video about open source issues, and will run on Windows 98 operating systems on up. An invaluable small business reference for any who use a computer to run operations.

Required for businesses considering switching to Linux

In the world of open source there is a plethora of books on installing and administering Linux. There are also many technical books available on setting up a web server or other specific areas of Linux. This book fills a very broad gap for the non-technical person who wants to know about open source products and how they can be beneficial to your needs. This is not a technical manual but a guide that gives a higher-level view of what the software can do and how to use it.It includes information on obtaining and installing Mandrake Linux (but no troubleshooting if you have a problem), setting up an office network, setting up an email server, setting up a web server, customer relationship management, calendar and schedule management, document management, accounting, project management, security, and just about everything you need to know to setup and run your business on an open source solution. Perhaps the best way to provide an indication of this book's perspective is to look at a specific chapter. One of the best ones for this purpose is the one on setting up a web server. The first thing addressed is why you need a web server in the first place. This is followed by an examination of the most common open source web server - Apache. It then provides enough information to understand some of the basics of configuration. This allows you to understand what the configuration files do and get a server up and running, but not enough information to actually configure a secure server. So, what makes this book so unique that I would recommend it to anyone? It meets the needs of the manager in that it is general enough that someone who has no knowledge of Linux can understand what is going on and what to expect of an installation. Yet it also meets the needs of the technical Linux user who understands the details of all the configuration files but often does not have an overall view of what the complete system is supposed to do. For example, it gives a short conceptual view of Perl that is sufficient to let the reader know if it is something that they could use but provides no information on how to program it. Then again, there are many, many books on Perl programming available."Open Source Solutions for Small Business Problems" is a very highly recommended book for anyone who is looking at the open source market and particularly anyone considering Linux as an operating system of choice either on the desktop or as a server. This is easily one of the best Linux books of the year; providing a management level view of the Linux world without the technical focus of other books.

A unique mix of business and technical information...

I just finished a rather interesting and different book on Open Source Software. The title is Open Source Solutions for Small Business Problems by John Locke (Charles River Media). The author contacted me and asked if I'd like to review the book, and I accepted. Since this is an area which is grabbing more of my interest these days, it was helpful in many ways...First, the chapter layout: Part 1 - Small Business Computing Infrastructure - Open Source Software in Your Small Business; Why You Need A Server; Setting Up Your Office Network; Open Source on the Desktop; Setting Up an Email Server; Setting Up a Web ServerPart 2 - Computing Your Business Operations - Customer Relationship Management; Calendar and Schedule Management; Document Management; Financial Management; Managing Resources, Schedules, and ProjectsPart 3 - Extending Your Business With Open Source - Sharing Information with Your Partners; Marketing Your Message; Connect from Offsite; Providing Private CommunicationsPart 4 - Keeping Your Network Secure and Intact - Securing Business Data; Network Security in a Wireless World; Disaster Recovery; Viruses and SpamAppendices - The Open Source Definition; Basics Of Networking; Common Open Source LicensesWhen I first started reading it, I was expecting something non-technical in nature, something that would be targeted for the average business owner that knows s/he wants to spend less on software and is looking for alternatives. And to be sure, the book does deliver to that group. But there are also chapters (or areas within each chapter) where the content gets pretty technical. For instance, the detail on how to set up a web server isn't for the person who simply wants to turn on their computer and go. These areas are going to appeal to the in-house technical support person who's been charged with making it all work. While you could (and probably should) find whole books on many of these topics, there's enough detail to get you started in the right direction.I think Part 2 is extremely valuable, in that it helps both the business owner and the techie figure out what's available in terms of open source alternatives to the typical business software. You learn about OpenOffice.org as a replacement to Microsoft's Office. You learn about MySQL as an alternative to Microsoft Access or many other more expensive relational database systems. You'd be able to find all this out if you dug around on the web long enough, but the author packages up the information in a single location and helps you start to understand what's available for you.There's also a CD in the back of the book that contains many of the open source packages discussed in the book. Being that these packages move pretty quickly as far as release cycles go, I think I'd prefer visit the web site for the specific package and download the latest. Still, if you're wanting something quick, you'll have it on the CD.At first, the mix of technical and non-technical content in eac