To answer your question.... Yes, the church should use open source where applicable.

But, this raises another question of what makes something applicable? If they have a bunch of people willing to be involved who only know Microsoft stuff than Open Office, Linux, and others might very well not be applicable.

To bring up the applicability in the church enviornment the church needs to embrace it's geeks, enable them, trust them, and let them use their skills for ministry. To build an enviornment where this stuff isn't just applicable but encouraged.

As we talk about on the show we don't want to just go the inexpensive route. We want it go cost effective and good route. The goal is not to support open source, the goal is not to save money, the goal is to reach out, minister to, and grow relationships with Christ.

Havoc,

I don't agree that an OpenOffice / Linux solution is the best route for a church.

The #1 problem of church technology is training. This is actually the #1 problem of anyone using a computer if you think about it - the stuff just changes so fast that it's hard to keep up, let alone be productive.

So while the initial cost of the Linux / OpenOffice is lower, you'll be imposing a "training tax" on those already overworked church staffers to have them swim upstream. I just haven't seen compelling improvements in speed, usability, or compatibility (try running through old printer drivers) that want me to run in and help my church out in this way.

That day may come, but it won't even come in the Ubuntu genre, although that's getting real close.

Basically the office "stack" goes like this:
- Storage
- Editing (including Spelling, Thesaurus and the basics we had in grammar school)
- Formatting (with all manner of crazy fonts, photos and layouts)
- WYSIWIG to:
   - Printer
   - Screen
   - Email
   - HTML

Anyone that can deliver this through an interface that you don't have to wrestle with mouse clicks, find hidden menu options, etc etc, will be the winning app. Don't be surprised if Microsoft delivers a version of this on the web in the next 18 months. Google is already ahead of them there...

People are going to use what comes with there computer. I bought one that came with Office XP. I use that. My wife got a computer at church that came with Wordperfect. She uses that. My new laptop came with MS works. If I didn't have Office XP I would use that. Our pastor wanted some of the features in the new Office so he uses that. Others in the church use an older ver. As long as you gave save and run the files it really does not matter.

I look at linux and Open Office in slightly different lights. Open Office is a lot like MS Office. The menus are similar. There is less of a learning curve if not much at all. The issue I see in Open Office is that it does not render pages the same as MS Office. They look different. If you do one is Open Office and then look at it in MS Office things like page breaks, margins, and other things won't look the same.

Now, Linux is a different animal. It is geekie and most church workers aren't geekie. In this chicken or egg debate I would say the answer isn't to bring Open Source tech to a church and push it on them. Instead bring in a tech and smart tech culture to the church and let the technology flow from that element in the church.

This would end up having maybe a buch of linux geeks as volunteers in the tech ministry so you can have a linux web server. This would end up having designers as volunteers to create a sweet website. Having and nurturing the Christian Geek culture can bring these elements in. It reachs more people, lets them use their gifts for God, get more volunteers in the church, and is just a better way than to hire out to a MS cronie ;-). Though, the MS cronie may be good to have around untill the Geeks are rockin in your church or ministry.

Matt Farina
Geeks and God Co-Host
www.mattfarina.com

People will use what they will use. But, there are two things to this. First, it's not about technology. That is one road we need to not go down. We need to take the road that it's about reaching people for Christ, serving them, and ministering to them.

Second, when it comes to the use of technology it's about cost effectiveness. If there are hours of extra training, all the tech support for broken things, and the cost of the license are added together. Some things like MS Office are cost effective most of the time in that respect. That is a fairly good program that they put out. Though, the MS Office 2000 is just about as good as the newest version for most people.

Matt Farina
Geeks and God Co-Host
www.mattfarina.com

I have been using OpenOffice.org on my home windows computer for the past year and a half. That said I'm possibly more comfortable using Linux.

When we had a problem with one of the computers, and the office staff needed something else quickly, I installed OO.o for them on another donated computer. We did not have any licenses for MS Office, so I figured I wouldn't violate that "not stealing commandment" and have them use OO.o. I even made a huge sign showing what the icons looked like for Writer and Calc, and what they had to do to make them save in their equivalent MS Office formats.

2 weeks later, I get complaints that they can't do ANYTHING with OO.o. It was too hard to write letters, yada, yada, yada. I did not have time to do a proper training session with everyone who used that computer, all I did was show one person what to do, and have them tell the others.

We eventually managed to extend a license from the university because of our affliation with the students to get MS Office.

My point, everyone is used to certain things. For many, that is MS Office. Until F/OSS has that same look and feel of the commercial apps, it will be hard to convince some to change. Especially (and I hate to make an age discrimination, but that's what I see) older people set in their ways.

The transition probably would have worked better with a proper training session, but there is only so much that one person can do.

I have to agree with the older generations distinction. Younger generations grew up with technology and, according to studdies, are more comfortable and able to adapt easier with technology. An easier place to introduce these technologies is with younger people.

Now, what will be interesting is when the next version of MS Office comes out. The MS Office Interface is getting a complete redesign and Open Office will look and feel closer to the old version of MS Office than the new version of MS Office will to older versions of itself.

If that made any sense.

Check out the new look on flickr.. here and more here.

Matt Farina
Geeks and God Co-Host
www.mattfarina.com