Information for New Visitors
Our home and About Us pages have information about 8daysaweek.co.uk. On this page you can find out more about the software we sell and promote.
Most of the software on our discs, including OpenOffice.org, is Open Source Software...
What is Open Source Software (OSS)?
Software where the source code that makes the programs work is 'open' for anyone to look at and modify. The code is continually improved by an 'online community' of highly motivated experts.
Open Source Software is freely available for sale and redistribution without any licence fees.
For more information on Open Source Software visit the Open Source Initiative website.
Why is Open Source Software so good?
The benefits of Open Source software:
- better quality (more features from motivated developers)
- flexible (user driven feature requests and regular releases of new features and bug fixes)
- lower cost (no licensing restrictions)
Organizations and individuals that use the open source model for development find that the benefits gained outweigh any perceived negative aspects, such as loss of competitive advantage. The code is worked on in a spirit of trust and teamwork.
What kind of Open Source programs are available?
| If you use | Why not try |
| Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) | OpenOffice.org (OOo) |
| Internet Explorer | Firefox |
| Outlook Express | Thunderbird |
| Outlook | Thunderbird plus the Lightning add-on |
| Photoshop | The GIMP |
Why should I swap to Open Source Software if I already have software that I use?
When you next update your software you could make a considerable saving by using an Open Source alternative with equivalent (or better) features.
Is the software you are using legal? If you use Microsoft programs such as Word or Excel, do you own the disc(s) they were installed from, or have a license to use them? If a friend installed the software for you, or you borrowed the disc, then you probably do not own a licence for the software. If not, it is 'pirated' and therefore illegal.
You do not need a license for Open Source Software (like OpenOffice.org). You can install it on as many computers as you wish, without restrictions (especially useful in offices)!
