Userland
- ZDNet published a look at Zorin OS, an excellent choice for SMB Linux desktops. Specifically, the article focused on Zorin’s Windows App Support, which aims to smooth over the process of installing Windows applications on Linux. Two components that enable this are the WINE compatibility layer (which Zorin includes by default) that allows Windows apps to install and run, and the PlayOnLinux program that optimizes those installations.
- Linux has been chasing a true “release-once, run anywhere” format for a long time. While the Flatpak format exists to address this need, it’s starting to get more (and more formal) support from the FOSS community. A piece at ZDNet outlines some steps that desktop players the GNOME Foundation and KDE Foundation (arguably the two most popular desktop environments) are promoting Flatpak and its associated Flathub store as a vendor-neutral place for developers to publish their software. They point directly to the contrast with the Snap format, which is controlled by Ubuntu publisher Canonical.
- OroCommerce, mentioned in our Jan. 20th issue, landed a spot on Geneva Lunch’s list of top ecommerce systems for distribution. Oro’s focus on B2B is a natural fit for distribution companies, and the publication highlighted it’s openness and modularity in addition to functions such as order management and billing.
- Techshali published a look at Liferay, a “digital experience platform” focused on building intra-company experiences. A “portal management system,” Liferay allows companies to integrate their important tools into single view, streamlining their employees’ workflows. Naturally, it offers a Community version for download in addition to commercial support.
- Open source options Simplenote and Joplin made the list of top free note-taking apps from the South Maryland Chronicle. Simplenote’s clean interface and Joplin’s flexibility were noted for different use cases, while the syncing ability of both was also highlighted.
Server Closet
- Docker, which in addition to being a management tool is also a provider of container hosting services, is informing customers who are on their legacy Free Team plan that they must migrate. Per the article by InfoWorld, the paid plan Docker is directions these organizations to will run $300/year and up. This is something that may affect small- to medium-sized businesses as well.
- OpenSourceForU published an article of FOSS business tools, including some useful lists for SMEs such as VPNs (such as OpenVPN and Libreswan) and helpdesk solutions.
Board Room
- As reported by TechCrunch, source code platform GitHub has released guides for companies seeking to implement Open Source Program Offices, or OSPOs. While open source software has been an important pillar in the overall software landscape for some time, recent events such as the Log4J exploit have made OSPOs more popular than ever. These guides can provide useful suggestions even for smaller organizations that leverage open source even if they don’t (yet) have an OSPO.
- Analytics Insight’s guide on choosing an open source license offers a good overview of the various options available. Even if your company isn’t considering it for your own code, it’s always useful to know the terms of licenses assigned to software you may be using.
foss4biz.com 
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