Staple Design – Gwilym GJ …think, design, build, enjoy, think, evolve…..

Ubuntu for NZ small business?

So… I have been ‘following’ Linux and Ubuntu for years and fervently hoping that it would evolve to a usable alternative for Kiwi small business. Last week I started using Ubuntu exclusively for my work at Wanaka Wastebusters; to see if it is a viable alternative to the half dozen Microsoft XP machines I am currently maintaining.

So far, it has impressed the hell out of me, especially how it out XP’s XP on easy of connectivity printing:

• Install and network setup: Seamless – it even found the colour Kyocera network printer driver and configured. Something XP won’t do.
• Web browsing/cloud apps: Hey Firefox is the same everywhere – and no different on Ubuntu
• Graphics and Design: Inkscape and Gimp … yeeehaa…
• FTP/web development: Whoa cool – Gedit / LAMP (install tutorial here)/ Filezilla (should I have installed the Server version straight off?)
• Office apps: I am still pushing Google Docs for 90% of things, and otherwise we have OpenOffice

I need to do some sort of cost of ownership for a 5-20 user scenario. Hard to get out of buying a PC with a Microsoft operating system these days but with the savings on Microsoft Office and easier admin/maintenance I’d say it would have a relatively quick payback period and have many longterm cost benefits.