At my old job, we did whatever it took to save the company money, and this ended up as extra cash in the employees’ pockets in the form of bonuses.  One way we saved thousands of dollars was to set up a Linux server, and kept our Windows 2003 server simply for file storage.  We installed open source software such as GIMP and Inkscape on ten workstations, and in the end, it saved us over $14,000 for the first year.

You could literally save over $7000 per new employee or software upgrades by utilizing open source software.  This isn’t including a Linux operating system.  I realize that it is difficult to integrate Linux into the mainstream operations of a business since few people know how to utilize it (or are simply afraid of it), but there is other software that could still save thousands for a company. 

In this economy, I would figure that companies would swoon over the idea of free software versus spending thousands of dollars.  If you are such a company or just an everyday computer user, then you should check out this excellent list of free software alternatives.

http://www.nothingbutsoftware.com/blog/2008/11/8-linux-apps-to-save-you-money/

I know the link above mentions that this is all Linux software, but many of these programs have Windows versions as well (Gimp, Blender, and OpenOffice are a few good examples).  I have personally tried most of the software in that list, and can say they are downright awesome.  The average person who uses Photoshop can find GIMP to be just as powerful, and free.  Now you don’t need to pirate…er…buy Photoshop if you’re doing basic to moderate photo editing.

Also, check out this rocking site:  http://www.osalt.com/

You can find free alternatives to almost any program out there, for both Windows and Linux alike.

Save a few bucks during these bad times — it may be good for your sanity.  Now to work on an open-source oil product…

Well, it looks like that has changed.  Now GIMP can use Photoshop filters.  This is an awesome development, because this brings GIMP up a notch in the photo editing platform battle.
Read more about it here

I’ve become a fairly large advocate for Open Source software ever since I spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on software for our office, only to find out we could have saved a ton of money by looking at free alternatives. Open Office vs Microsoft Office, GIMP vs Photoshop, Citadel Groupware and Mail Server VS Microsoft Exchange server, Ubuntu Linux server VS Windows 2003 server, etc. I figure we could have saved over $15,000 over the last year if we had used the open source alternatives instead of the expensive, over-priced big-name software.

I suppose the biggest item on my wish list is something to compete with AutoDesk’s Civil 3d (Autocad 2008) software. The software is severely bloated, buggy as hell, and over priced. When you post to their support forums about the wide range of bugs in their latest version of Civil 3d, their answer is almost always “Just spend $2,000 per employee and upgrade to the new version.” A new version comes out each year…