LinuxWorld 2005 Wrap-Up: Notes from the Conference

This week, businesses, hard-core geeks, and dot-orgs all gathered at San Francisco's Moscone Center for the twice-annual LinuxWorld show.

Vendors and products at the show ran the gamut, from high-volume HP ProLiant servers based on Intel Xeon processors to free content management systems. In the spirit of open source and Linux, there were plenty of offerings geared toward nonprofits. (For more on using open source and Linux in nonprofits, read Going with Open Source Software.)

Mambo Content Management System

The only thing better than cheap is free. Big corporations and small nonprofits alike use Mambo's free, open-source content management system (CMS) on more than half a million sites, according to its CEO Ethan Agai. The full-featured CMS — which grabbed this year's Product Excellence Award for Best Open-Source Solution — offers search functionality, more than 1,200 plugins and templates, and can create a secure Web site. Visit Mambo's Web site to read more about the system, to see sites using the CMS, and to check out a demo.

If you need help, JamboWorks assists organizations with training, site migration, development, and other aspects of using Mambo. The best part? It offers discounts for nonprofits.

Splunk

No, that's not the sound that your hand makes as it slaps your head in frustration when your server crashes. Nonprofits don't always have hours to spend troubleshooting, and that's where Splunk can help. It's a search tool that allows you to navigate logs, configuration files, messages, and database transactions to help you fix problems more quickly. Splunk comes in two flavors: free Personal Server and Team Server. (The Team Server offers email and phone support and starts at $2,500 annually.) Visit Splunk's Web site to learn more.

CodeWeaver's CrossOver Office

One of the sticking points when migrating to Linux is what to do with those pesky Windows applications you still use. With CrossOver Office, you can still run Windows applications — including Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Project, Visio, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX, and Adobe Photoshop — under Linux.

The software comes in Standard ($39.95) and Professional editions ($74.95). Both run the same applications, while the Professional version offers multi-user support and can be purchased in volume discounts.

Version 4.2 is available now, while version 5 is slated to be released in one month, according to company representatives. The new version will run copy-protected software CDs and offer support for Microsoft Office 2003. Visit CodeWeavers' site for more information.

Alacos Desktop Migration Agent

Of course, before you can start running Linux, there's the matter of getting your data from your old operating system to your new one. Alacos Desktop Migration Agent Network Server Edition migrates Outlook or Netscape email, address books, My Documents, Internet Explorer favorites, backgrounds, icons, documents, spreadsheets, databases, and all sorts of other data, over LAN, WAN, VPN, or wireless networks. And it will back up your migrated data — just in case.

The Professional Edition is priced at $39.95 and uses a network crossover cable to migrate files from one PC to another. The Network Edition software can migrate hundreds to thousands of desktops from Windows to Linux. (Network Edition pricing wasn't available on the company's site.)

Company reps at the show mentioned that nonprofit pricing is available. Visit the Alacos Web site for more product information.

Scalix Community Edition

Launched this week at LinuxWorld, Scalix's Community Edition is a free email and calendaring client, a Web-access client, along with server software, and five licenses. The application works with Internet Explorer, Mozilla, or Firefox on Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and Unix desktops. For more information, visit Scalix's Web site.

CeylonSoft eAssistant

CeylonSoft showed off its Java-based eAssistant System offerings, which let you check your messages on any computer or through a phone. The software behaves and looks much like Microsoft Outlook and the company offers several versions, including its $40 eAssistant Email Edition with support for email and video mail, contact info, calendar, and to-do lists. It works with any PC running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Linux, AIX, Solaris, Mac OS X, or any other Java-enabled operating system.

At $150, the eAssistant Office Edition includes similar features as the aforementioned product, but runs on a client-server system and offers multiple-user access. Visit CeylonSoft's Web site to see its other offerings.

Mobile Open Source from Funambol

There's nothing worse than having your PDA crash and losing all of your data while out in the field. (Maybe there are worse things, but it's still no fun.) Funambol's Sync4j is an open-source mobile application server that lets you sync your PDA or other mobile device with a central server while on the road, and there's no need to use a cradle or cables. The software is free to download and you can post questions to a community mailing list if you need help. To find out more, visit the Sync4j site.

Open-Source Buyer's Guide

If you're still scratching your head and wondering whether Linux is right for you or your organization, InfoWorld just launched its Open Source Buyers Guide, an extensive look at Open Source products and technologies that can serve as worthy alternatives to their proprietary counterparts.