Moving To Open Source at the Office

The question is this: can I do what I need to do on the computer using only
open source software? Right now, the answer is a resounding No. Here's why,
at work:

• HTML editing: We use Dreamweaver, which is an excellent program. The
  best open source HTML editors I know of are the Mozilla/Netscape Composer
  (which isn't that great) and OpenOffice, which is also lacking. There's nothing
  that I know of that offers comparable site management tools.


• Finances: QuickBooks. Perhaps GnuCash might be able to do the trick,
  but I doubt it. QuickBooks is so integral to the business that I'd be reluctant
  to change even to another Windows-based finance program.


• Remote Administration: pcAnywhere. Although I've been moving over to
  VNC to work with our internal servers, pcAnywhere's security and file transfer
  features make it the only viable option to connect to our remote servers.
  The only way around this, I think, is to set up a VPN connection. In this
  instance, we are transferring the cost of a secure connection from software
  (pcAnywhere) to hardware (a pair of VPN-enabled firewalls).
  
  

posted by Neil @ 7:01 PM