How to Save Money in These Trying Times (A Nerd's Perspective)

With the economy the way that it is, there is a easy way to save money that can range from a few hundred to a few million dollars. This would be great for so many organizations *cough* State of New York *cough*.

Open Source

switch to Linux, Apache HTTP Server, MySQL database, PHP, and Open Office.org. They are all open source (free) alternatives to proprietary products like those from Microsoft (and are traditionally more efficient).

Google

Google offers free versions of their products like GMail, Docs, and Chat that are specific for governments, schools, and nonprofits. With 7GB worth of memory for email, there is no reason to complain about server space limitations on emails.

Mozilla

Everyone with a braincell has realized why Firefox is superior to all other browsers and has switched. But, not enough use Thunderbird (an alternative to Outlook).

If you all are unfamiliar with any of the aforementioned products, Wikipedia them. Honestly, some organizations spend millions on program licenses, this could solve financial problems in just a few clicks. Sometimes I wonder why so many CIOs are so in love with Microsoft. I guess the reason is because they were raised on it (as was I). But with operating systems that cost $300, how can that devotion be justifiable? This economy has caused us all to make changes, why not change our favorite operating system or word processing program?