Questions related to Open Source

We can't guarantee that all your queries will be answered, but this page is provided for listing questions that people may have regardng Open Source or issues surrounding it, in order to promote further thought and discussion:

Questions

• Q: "Open Source" = Linux, right?
• I've heard that there are different distributions of Linux:
  • Q: why are there more than one?
  • Q: how do I choose which one is right for what I want to do?
  • Q: what are the strengths of the different distributions?
• Q: Open Source = no upfront cost, right?
• Q: I'm not a geek and I don't drink beer, so what is "free as in beer" all about?
• Q: I thought you didn't have to pay licence fees with Open Source?
• Q: So how would I get an Open Source solution supported?
• Q: What are the advantages/drawbacks of an Open Source Solution?
• Q: OK, I get the Source Code, so what - I've never needed it before...
• Q: Where can OSS be deployed other than on servers?
• Q: What level are OSS desktops at?
• Q: Jargon: I've heard the words "KDE", "GNOME", "FreeBSD?" - what are they?
• Q: Have there been Total Cost of Ownership comparisions between OSS-equivalent solutions to proprietary software?
• Q: What's the argument around a good cultural match between OSS and the Voluntary & Community Sector?
• Q: Can you mix OSS & Windows on the same network?
• Q: Is OSS suitable for small/medium/large organisations? (delete as appropriate)
• Q: What are the issues in migrating to an OSS platform?
• Q: Do I need to be "Open" (i.e. buy into the whole Open Source Philosophy/Ethos) in order to implement OSS solutions?
• Q: Can I use open source on macs and pcs and exchange information between them?

Places to look for answers

Try the OSSResources page, and links to places like Linux Questions, The Linux Documentation Project etc

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