A server is a central computer that is used to store data and house applications that are shared by many different people. Typical uses of a server within a organization include storing documents that need to be shared, hosting web pages and other online tools, providing e-mail gateways and housing information repositories and directories.

Common server software components include: a network operating system, a database system, e-mail and web servers and programming tools.

It is in this area of server software tools that open source is both best known and most mature

In fact, the open source web server Apache is by far the most popular web server on the Internet, far surpassing similar software provided by Microsoft and others. The open source

e-mail server SendMail is also leader in its field. Almost any software tool that you would want to run a server is available as open source, and most are packaged automatically with Linux distributions.

If setting up their own servers, organizations should seriously consider open source software. The features and choices available are equal or better than commercial options – and the software is free.

In contrast, commercial server software tends to be very expensive, much more so than commercial desktop software. Also, open source server software is often more secure than commercial equivalents

Open source servers support Namibia's schools ...

SchoolNet Namibia is non-profit provider of internet services, hardware and training to the nation's schools. It uses open source server tools to provide inexpensive LANs and ISP services.

Examples include the Squirrel Mail web mail system and SuSe Linux operating system. Using these tools, 200 Namibian schools and institutions are connected with full feature internet services at around 60% cost savings from Microsoft alternatives.

Greenpeace Manila switches to the open source desktop

As a general rule, Greenpeace has decided to move to open source to save on license fees and avoid potential law suits that would be incurred from pirating proprietary software.

The Greenpeace Manila office has taken this commitment all the way to the desktop, with almost all of their computers now running Red Hat Linux and OpenOffice.org.

These computers are mainly used for word processing, e-mail, web browsing, spreadsheets and presentations.

According to an article in Linux Journal, Greenpeace South East Asia says free software has saved the office "a lot of money" that naturally "is better spent on winning campaigns than paying for very expensive licenses".

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web applications to pick from. In areas such as mailing lists the "best" options are fairly well established and making a decision is reasonably easy. However, in many areas – content management, e-newsletters, online campaigning – leading options have yet to emerge

So, while good options exist, it is sometimes difficult to know which option to choose. Our decision making framework below is designed to help with this.

In many ways, it is in the area of web applications where the idea of open source is most compelling for organizations. Why? Because web sites need to be designed to reflect the "organizational logic" and strategic goals of the people who set them up.

As a result, it is often desirable to modify or add a feature to a web application to match a particular organizational need. For example, an advocacy organization might want to add an online petition feature into its content management system.

The open aspect of open source not only makes this possible ... but it also ensures that any changes made will always be open and changeable so that they can grow with an organization's need.