An IT manager describes his step-by-step process for finding free Linux or open-source software support.

outhEast Asia - I would like to talk about Microsoft's double standard regarding software piracy. I work for a software development company. We are currently working on different projects for a big telecommunications company under Microsoft's Consulting Services division. But let me tell you... at this very moment, if the BSA comes crashing into our development location, all our equipment will be confiscated, and we will be fined for our use of pirated Microsoft products (Windows 2000 AS, Visual Studio 6.0, Visual Studio .NET, SQL Server 2000, BizTalk 2000, etc.).

Take this quiz to find out which OS most matches your personality.

Gibraltar Software CTO Mark Allen shares some advice on developing a strategy for patching critical systems and applications.

In this article, industry experts comment on a recent IDC white paper which stated that the five-year total cost of ownership of Linux was higher than that of Windows 2000. According to some, the TCO issue is less important to most enterprises than the issue of return on investment -- and Linux versus Unix may be a more compelling contest than Linux versus Windows.

Sure there are cost and maintenance savings in opting for Linux on the desktop over Windows, but administrators still have to contend with some setbacks. Application availability, or compatibility, is an issue as is training and potential downtime that accompanies a migration.

In this guest column at DesktopLinux.com, former SCO evangelist and Samba.org team leader John H. Terpstra weighs in on market perceptions about Linux and its suitability for the desktop.

Open-source application servers as an alternative to WebSphere and WebLogic, for example, are gaining momentum. Aside from cost savings, porting applications from one server to another is virtually effortless, according to JBoss Group LLC founder Marc Fleury.

The author of centericq, a popular instant messaging solution for *NIX, wrote an article about his first experience with Jabber as a developer.

This article discusses the different groups within the NetBSD Project and the variety of ways virtually any user can help the project.