Linux for Non-Profits?

Glowing Fish asks: "I am volunteering for a non-profit that is currently in the process of giving away grants of systems (some using Linux and some without an OS) to various non-profit organizations. One of the problems is that many of these organizations have a somewhat skewed version of what they need, thinking they need Pentium IV systems with 100s of megs of RAM with Windows XP installed. I have been given the job of politely explaining that for most non-profit organizations, it is not necessary to have this type of computing power. What is the best (and politest) way to explain to people that they don't really need this type of computing investment? Without Microsoft-bashing, how would you explain the ever spiraling relationship between RAM and OS bloat? What type of systems would you suggest to a non-profit organization for office work, and why?"

Comments

Re:Non profit = need for free OS

[sahala]

Non profit organizations have no business going and buying expensive software like Windows. Unless they plan on using Warez, the obviously cheapest solution for an organization that probably won't have a lot of money lying around is to use Linux. Seems like common sence to me.

You state this as if it's a hard rule, but it's clear that you haven't done that much work with non-profit organizations. Non-profits work a little differently than for-profit companies. Although arguably they should be run like a business (in terms of accountability, etc), non-profits will sometimes apply for a technology grant or have access to some other public fund to provide for their tech needs. They'll typically draft a proposal that states the amount they need ($10k, $20k, whatever) and some governing body decides how much of this to provide. By pulling the right strings it's quite possible for a non-profit to order a fleet of high-end Dell workstations with Windows XP installed, complete with support. Also consider that they may obtain hardware/software for free (as a charitable donation) from a business, which in turn may have strings attached.

Now obviously they could save a bit by using Linux, but this opens up a support problem. Yes, I realize that there are for-pay Linux support organizations out there, and some computer vendors will bundle in Linux installation support with hardware sales, but these instances are unfortunately more rare.

In an ideal world, yes they would run Linux. In fact from a philosophical point of view all non-profits out to. But it's not an obvious solution to use Linux from a management/org point of view. For that matter most non-profits focus on their core mission/goals, and could care less about Linux vs. Windows.

Give them a solution, not specs

[toast0]

Find out what they want to do with the computer, not the specs they (think they) want.

Then provide a computer that will do everything they want to do; or tell them you don't have the raw material to do it.

If they still insist they need a P4000, with 50 Gig of ram, explain to them how you figured the p2 over there w/ 128 meg of ram will do everything they need, and ask them to explain why they need a p4000.