A new, nonprofit website called "openmissoula," based in Missoula, Montana, offers support for professionals committed using free and open source software (FOSS) for economic justice advocacy, for running private law firms or assisting nonprofit organizations.
The lead openmissoula story describes how FOSS was used to increase direct services to clients.
The openmissoula site is partnered with the Montana Self-Represented Litigants Commission, the Montana Association for Criminal Defense Attorneys and YWCA Missoula. The software described is already being used by former Montana Legal Services Association attorney Monte Jewell to run his private law office. Here is the introductory story from the openmissoula site:
Nonprofit programs and private offices can be served effectively by free and open source software (FOSS).
Using FOSS avoids licensing fees charged by vendors and related risks and costs of proprietary software. Money saved permits innovation and more direct services to clients. How? A local area network (LAN) server based on Samba can connect a large number of Windows, Apple, and Linux workstations. A "user-friendly" desktop-oriented version of the Linux operating system is Ubuntu. Egroupware can be used for a shared team members' calendar, a shared contacts directory and a shared to-do list. Jabber can be used for instant messaging. Asterisk can be used to run a large telephone system. An email client is provided by Thunderbird. A "better browser" (according to Forbes) is Firefox. A website like this one can be published with Drupal. Gimp can be used instead of Photoshop for image editing. Accounting records, formal documents and routine correspondence can be created with the Open Office Suite. Encrypted remote access with an office computer can accomplished with freenx. Backups can be automatically completed and sent offsite over an encrypted connection with Backuppc.
Advocates, social workers, grant administrators, legal aid attorneys, public defenders and program facilitators take notice: there is no licensing fee for use of these --- and other --- FOSS programs.
See also:
* 50 Open Source Success Stories in Business, Education and Government
* Will Windows Vista Force Users to Switch to Linux?
Read more.
