This document provides an overview of open source software that can be used by non-profit organizations. It discusses popular open source operating systems like Linux and BSD and describes commonly used server software such as Samba, Mailman, LAMP stacks, and content management systems. It also mentions desktop applications like Mozilla Suite, Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice, and GIMP. The document notes that while over 60% of non-profits use open source on their web servers, only around 20% use it as their desktop operating system. Barriers to adoption include familiarity with proprietary tools and lack of support and expertise.
10. About this review This is not an exhaustive list of all free and open source software that is mature and usable. But it is a good review of most of the software out there that is going to be useful to nonprofit organizations. For more tools, go to: http://socialsourcecommons.org
23. Linux and BSD are virtually ubiquitous in web hosting environments, from virtual host companies, to large enterprises (like Yahoo and Google.)
24.
25. You can buy a box sometimes (relatively inexpensive) in a store (may come with installation support.)
26. Download an ISO from the website of the distribution or a mirror, either directly or via bittorrent (won't come with any support except community support.)
27. Buy a CD from OSDisc, or another vendor (also won't come with support – these just duplicate the CDs from the websites – so they are cheap if bandwidth is an issue.)