The Linux operating system is the mascot of the open source paradigm shift.

This distribution allows you to use your server as a:

 

• file server (Windows - SMB, AFP, NFS)
• print server (LPD, Windows - SMB, IPP)
• email server (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4)
• web server (HTTP, PHP)
• terminal server (X-Windows)
• database server (MySQL, PostgreSQL)
• boot server to boot diskless workstations that can run remote desktop clients (RDP), essentially turning them into thin clients.
• host for virtualisation (for running multiple operating systems at once)

 

Red Hat's Enterprise edition of Linux can be purchased if you require vendor support.
For extra functionality the other products we recommend can be added to give you a full and complete solution you can trust and depend on.

LibreOffice is almost a drop-in replacement for the Microsoft Office line of products (excluding Office 2007/2010 due to the proprietary ribbon interface). LibreOffice runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple Mac OS X and others.

The following components are available:

If you are currently a modest Microsoft Office user you will find LibreOffice a breeze to use and like us will grow to prefer it. And, just like Firefox, you can extend the functionality of LibreOffice by installing freely downloadable extensions.

Most modern Linux distrubutions are very usable as home and business desktops enabling you to perform all your current tasks: Internet, Office Applications, and Multimedia.

Numerous distributions are available:

There are many more available - These are the most common ones.

For a good, stable Operating System we recommend Ubuntu. If you want to try something on the leading  (bleeding?) edge then Fedora is for you. Linux makes for a very good, user-friendly desktop operating system.