Starting Smart, Starting Cheap

I am writing this for all of our colleagues in the startup mode that either haven`t purchased their computer systems or are thinking of upgrading. If you are a subscriber or a casual observer of our blogs, you know our commitment to open source. However, don`t view this as a recommendation for moving to a linuxOS, see it as putting your toe in the water. For all of my MAC users, sorry this doesn't apply.

Instead of purchasing the entire MSSuite (word, powerpoint, access, excel, etc.), check out Open Office from Sun MicroSystems. It doesn't have all the whistles and bells of Microsoft`s package, it just has the ones we consistently use and IT IS FREE! You can work in its complementary programs (writer, impress, base, and calc) with the same functions as Microsoft and save your work in documents that are fully functional in MSSuite.

The only challenge is there is nothing at the moment to replace Outlook. This is where Mozilla steps in. By now you have seen all of the hype and even downloaded their browser Firefox. Mozilla (Netscape) has come to rescue with a free email client Thunderbird.

Thunderbird has all of the email and newsgroup features of Outlook and when you add their calendaring system - Lighting, it has everything you need to abandon Outlook. Lighting has the additional features of synching with icalendar formats like Google Calendar to create an online and sharable calendar with you clients, partners, and suppliers. You can even synch it with your phone or pda like our nokia n800 internet appliance to create one calendar that follows you around. It is the perfect solution to the mobile Solopreneur that is trying to look and perform big without the overhead.

Lets review the bidding. Instead of spending $300-$500 for bloated programs where a typical user applies 20% of its capability, you can create all of the software infrastructure of a large organization for FREE.

Check it out by Googling Open Office, Firefox, Thunderbird, and Lighting. Download the programs and within one afternoon you can achieve more for less.

Now I will have you ready for the next leap. Have an old computer that struggles with 98 or XP, and will not run Vista? How about a free linux operating system like Ubuntu that will make your 3 year old computer run like a new $1500 box?

Stay tuned....

This blog was written @30,000 feet on a nokia n800, my handheld VIA (virtual internet assistant)