Open source software is computer software that has been designed by a community of developers and is available free for anyone to install and use. Open Source software offers better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost and an end to vendor lock-in.


How can open source software help me?
Open source software can provide me with a completely free operating system, compatible office suite and a host of free software programs that I can install legally on as many computers as I would like to.

The Linux/Debian/Solaris Operating System
Linux and Debian etc. are free operating systems that provides you with a very stable and feature rich operating system being either a desktop or a server. Common examples which you may have heard include Ubuntu, Suse, Red Hat, Centos, Fedora core and many more. They can do everything, if not more than your current operating system so you can browse the Internet, download your photos and edit them, retrieve email and open and create Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. The advantage is the operating system is free, compatible with your PC hardware, very stable (no more shutting down every day) and fast. Below are a couple of screenshots of Ubuntu 9.10.

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OpenOffice – Microsoft Office Replacement
OpenOffice is a freely available but fully featured office suite that can run on most operating systems and can be installed freely on any PC. Open Office is compatible with Microsoft Office and can open and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents and save them as Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents as well as provide a drawing, maths and database utility program. Instead of purchasing an expensive Office Suite why not try Open Office first? You can read more about Open Office here. Below are some screen shots of Open Office programs.

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Other Free Open Source Software

• Firefox and Google Chrome: Free Internet Browser.
• Thunderbird: Free email program.
• Gimp: Very powerful picture and graphics editor.
• Pidgin: Free social network instant messenger.
• GnuCash: Accouting and financial application.
• MySQL: High performance and easy to use database.
• GParted: Hard disk partition editor

Below is a cost comparison between Microsoft Windows and Office compared to Open Source. Approximating a Microsoft Windows licence at R2000 and a Microsoft Office 2007 Professional licence at R4000. Support for both Microsoft and Windows approximated at R350 p/h for both operating systems. As you can see below Linux is by far the cheaper option as it is free, yet it is a proven, stable and reliable desktop and server operating system.

Are you looking for Linux or Open Office or a suite of applications? We have a number of Linux and Open Source software and applications available and we can burn it onto disk and post to you anywhere in South Africa.

We also compile disks of any software you may require. If you need a disk with certain applications we will get them (if we do not have them already) and burn them onto disk for you and mail it to you.

For example here are some of the applications and operating systems we have available:

• Linux
  • openSuse 11.2
  • Ubuntu 9.10
  • Ubuntu Multimedia Studio
  • Fedora Core 12
  • Knoppix
• Applications
  • Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird
  • Google Chrome, Opera, Safari
  • Skype and MSN
  • Open Office
  • Dia Diagrams
  • DVD tools
  • Audio recorders
  • Google Earth, Chrome, Desktop etc.
• And many more…….

The cost is R120 including the disk and postage. If we don’t have it we will get it for you! Just let us know which one or ones you would like, the architecture (32 bit or 64 bit) and we will do the rest for you and the disk will be delivered to you.

For more information please contact us.

We can design and implement and develop applications to your specification. If you have an idea that requires a computer system or application we can design and implement your solution from the drawing board to release.

Our previous projects include:

Secure PDF Printing Facility for the JBCC: This project was designed to allow clients to purchase on-line documents. They can download contract documents to their computer and then pay each time they print a document. The system uses encrypted Adobe PDF documents (system using FileOpen Software)  that connect to a ASP web server to get the appropriate permissions. This system was extended to allow clients to purchase pre-prepaid contract documents using their credit card through MWEB Safeshop.

Certificate Generation Application for the JBCC: This project was designed in Microsoft Access and contains a number of forms that allow the user to capture data and then generate a specific certificate which they can print. This system included a licensing module to prevent unauthorised copying. The installation package was created using Nullsoft software installer software to install the application onto a Microsoft Windows based PC.

SMS Forum Integration: A forum was designed using ASP programming language that sends an SMS to the topic moderator each time a question was posted to that moderator.

User Certificate Generation: The company had a list of candidates that attended a training program and they required an automatic certificate generation program to allow printouts to multiple users all at the click of a button.

For more information please contact us.

We are registered with a number of computer suppliers and can supply you with complete computer desktops, laptops, computer spares, replacement parts, printers, keyboards, mice, wireless routers etc. We offer high quality name brands such as HP, Lexmark, Acer etc. which all contain their manufactures warranties. Our prices are very competitive and we can deliver the parts to your premises and install if required.

We are now Apple resellers and you may purchase Apple products from us. We can supply you with iPods, Apple Mac Pro Desktops, Mac Books for when you are on the move, Mac and Adobe software etc.

For more info, availability and pricing enquiries please contact us.

* Please note: Some faulty computer parts cannot be returned to us but instead must be sent to the manufacter’s repair centre.

We provide on-site support to clients in the Durban and surrounding areas in Kwa-Zulu Natal where we will come to your premises to help resolve your computer problems. We know how frustrating computers can be and we can help with with whatever problem you may encounter e.g. printing issues, new software installations, faulty computers, Internet not working etc.

We can offer you the following services:

• Diagnose and repair faulty computers and small servers. This includes the computer hardware, operating system and software installed.
• Diagnose and repair Internet connection problems.
• Diagnose and repair network connection problems.
• Remove viruses and install anti-virus/anti-spyware protection.
• Perform backups (and store off-site) and restore if necessary.
• Install new software and drivers.
• Help you resolve any printing issues.

We can also offer you a monthly support service where we will regularly maintain your computer systems daily, weekly, bi-monthly or monthly at a set rate to keep your computer systems running 100%. We are not like other companies that will pop in, see nothing is wrong and then leave after 5 minutes. Here is what we do to maintain your computers:

• Check and remove any viruses
• System cleanups to clean up temporary and wasted space
• Optimise computer settings and drivers for speed and stability
  
• Install regular software updates
• Check computer hardware (hard disk, memory, motherboard)
• Fix any other issues that have arisen.

For more information or pricing enquiries please contact us.

We provide a number of on-line services to enhance you presence on the web and inform your clients via a number of communication methods. We offer the following services:



Website Design and Maintenance
We can implement a website for your business or personal use. We will design it, get it hosted, get a domain name for you e.g. www.yourdomain.co.za and register it with the search engines. We can also update current websites with new content even if it was not designed by us. We can design any website from 3 pages to a corporate intranet solution depending on your requirements.

We can design the website in a number of ways depending on your requirements. Your website can include fancy popup photo galleries, contact forms, google maps business inclusion and directions to your premisis, booking forms, user registrations, business directories, latest news sections, bulk email and sms functionality and much more. Our websites also include a fully featured administration section where you can administer the content without knowing how to program via the internet.

Websites Developed or Part Developed
NHA – Natural Health Association: http://www.nha.org.za
RecruiTech Recruitement: http://www.recruitech.co.za (Click for Reference)
Pinetown JKA: http://www.pinetownjka.co.za
Durban Wedding Productions: http://www.durbanweddingproductions.co.za
Form Productions: http://www.formproductions.co.za
Toploge: http://www.toplodge.co.za
Sandbox CC: http://www.sandblasting.co.za
PBSTA: http://www.pbsta.co.za (Click for Reference)
MiWay MiXpress: http://www.miway.co.za (co-developer for insurance on-line portal)
Finmon: http://www.finmon.co.za (customer online portal and administration portal)
Figment Design: http://www.figment.co.za (administration portal)
Virtual Voucher: http://www.virtualvoucher.co.za (developer for administration portal)

Website Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
We also can register web sites with the major search engines including South African search engines e.g. Ananzi, Advaark etc. with Google being the preferred search engine. We can also setup access to Google Analytics and Google Webmaster to provide stats and marketing tools to market your website on-line. Google offer an analytical tool called Google Analytics that provide a wide range of stats to analyse website traffic and help you market your website to your clients. These stats are are accessible via a login facility on their website. It’s provides a great way to see who is coming to your site, from where, how long, what keywords were used etc. This facility is a must for any business or commercial website. Separately there is another tool called Google Webmaster which can help you with your crawling and indexing questions, introduce you to offerings that can enhance and increase traffic to your site, and connect you with your visitors. If you click on the images below you can see some of the screens that Google Analytics can give you.

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For more information or pricing enquiries please contact us.