The Truth About ‘Free’ Software for Nonprofits

The second major complaint against free software is the lack of professional support. It’s true that most free software projects lack professional support. Conversely, most free software projects can provide outstanding technical support for free by email or web-based discussion forum. And in most metropolitan areas, there’s another invaluable resource available to Free Software users: the Local User Group, or LUG. LUGs are informal special interest groups that meet semi-regularly to discuss free software, offer how-to training sessions and generally build community. A non-profit organization could easily earn the affection of a LUG, as well as competent technical support by providing a meeting facility for the group.