As business owners we attempt to keep the balance between quality and cost effectiveness – meaning, if it’s free ‘HOW GOOD IS IT REALLY?’ Now, don’t misunderstand me, I like free, but it must be weighed against quality. Which brings me to the point of this blog – “Open Source Computing” or the new buzz word “cloud computing”? I read a great article in smallbusinesscomputing.com which listed numerous open source “cloud” platforms. The author tempered his article with sage advice “this may not be the best decision for all business owners” – translation: proceed with caution. We all want to save a few bucks, but not at the cost of our reputation. My favorite – and currently only – open source platform is PDF creator – works great! And of course, it’s free!

What are your favorites? Do you use open source software exclusively, not at all, or a mixture of both? Inquiring minds want to know? Leave your comments, suggestions, and opinions @ www.setufreeva.com/blog.