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6. OpenBiblio

Believe it or not, even public libraries can benefit from certain open source projects, especially when it comes to using a fully automated library system written in PHP. Admittedly, it may seem a bit intimidating as there does not appear to be clear instructions listed on how to set things up. But trust me, download the tarball, extract it, and just read the included instructions -- they are very well written. Some great functionality you can expect from this includes: circulation, cataloging, and staff administration. It's really a fantastic solution, once you get it installed to a localized server.

If you are concerned about decent support for a bar code scanner, used for checking out books by staff members for patrons, fear not. Most barcode scanners work just fine, and it can even be done on the cheap by going to eBay, searching for "modified CueCat scanner". It's cheap, and it works just fine, plug-n-play, right out of the box in OpenBiblio.

7. OOO Label Templates

Yes, even templates can be released under the GPL open source license. And when competing against closed source applications, having access to key label templates is quite important. And it appears that some label offerings and the companies that provide them are beginning to see that there is a market with open source alternatives to MS Office.

Some of the GPL'd labels provided include: various address, shipping, USPS, audio cassette, CD/DVD, and business card CD labels. Easy to use, ready to install.

8. Aria (Accounting, Receiving, and Inventory Administration)

Just as it sounds, Aria provides enterprise users with the ability to administrator a variety of accounting, receiving and inventory data from within a usable open source platform.

Aria allows the enterprise user to keep their records in order, despite a bit of a learning curve with its installation.

9. Scribus

Without question, the best desktop publishing software in the open source universe. It's powerful, easy to use, and provides the kind of user interface that is not going to send your design staff screaming into the employee lounge seeking refuge.

Supported by the community through new users and pros alike, you will not find yourself stuck on a project without the help you need, should the well-written documentation fall short someplace. Considering the frequent releases, great community support and the ability to finally free your company from restrictive file formats that die when a particular release ends, this is a migration that just makes sense.

10. Drupal

For many, Drupal is the premiere content management system (CMS), even over others such as Plone. Maintained by a very strong community, new features, modules and functionality are seeing the light of day all the time.

And with a community of developers to work with, finding the right people to get your website working Drupal to meet your needs is not nearly as challenging as with other closed source platforms. Flexible, scalable - this is a serious CMS.

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