Running a cutting edge design firm using Free Open Source Software (FOSS)

 

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As landscape architects, we are all too familiar with what it takes to build a successful community. But what happens when instead of designing boulevards, mass transit systems, and mixed use developments, designers instead focused their efforts on building software? The result is Free Open Source Software (or FOSS).

 

So what exactly do we mean by Free Open Source Software? Well, let's quickly dissect that term. Here, the word free has two meanings. First, it means free as in “freedom”. With open source software, you are free to do quite a bit. Secondly, it also means free as in “no cost”. That's right, it won't cost you a dime. The next part of the phrase is “Open Source”. Open Source means the source code used by the programmers to create the software is available for anyone to download, inspect, and even change as they see fit. This differs greatly from “proprietary” software such as Windows, Adobe products, and AutoCAD in that the source code used to write these programs is a closely guarded industry secret. Finally, the software part of FOSS is, well, you get the idea.

 

At this point, you may be saying to yourself, “There must be a catch. There's no such thing as a free lunch. This free software can't possibly be as good as the stuff for which I pay lots of money.” Good news, there is no catch. FOSS is often just as good, and in many cases better than its proprietary counterpart. Large, multinational and multi billion dollar companies like IBM and Google rely on open source software to run mission critical applications, as do approximately 60% of the servers used to power the internet.

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Benefits of Open Source Software

 

There are many benefits of using open source software. Not the least of which is cost. Software can be a major expense for a company, particularly if you are a small to mid sized firm. So let's take a look at a quick cost comparison. Keep in mind FOSS and proprietary software don't have exact counterparts. Each software platform is slightly different, with slightly different features. But we can draw some close comparisons.

 

Note: The cost of proprietary software was taken directly from the software provider and is the suggested retail price. No discounts were taken into consideration. Also, a more detail explanation of each FOSS package is conducted later in this article.

 

The following table includes potential software for an individual employee, and does not include server level software, enterprise level development packages, or network licenses.

 

 

Software Type	Proprietary Software	Cost		FOSS	Cost
Operating System	Windows Vista Business	$299		Ubuntu	$0
Office Software	MS Office 2007	$499.95		Open Office.org	$0
CAD	AutoCAD 2008	$3995		Qcad	$0
3d Modeling	3D Studio MAX	$3495		Blender	$0
Graphics	Adobe CS3 Design Standard	$1199		GIMP Scribus Inkscape	$0
GIS	ArcView 9.2 Single User License	$1500 (plus $2500 for 3D analyst extension		GRASS and many many more	$0
Total		$13588			$0

 

 

OK, so maybe at this point you are intrigued. But you may be asking yourself another question, such as, “This is all well and good, but how can I apply it to my firm?” Well, I'm glad you asked! The next section of the article will be an overview of different types of software, as well as specific programs relevant to the landscape architecture profession as well as the design industry as a whole, or any general office for that matter.

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Open Source Software Types

 

Operating Systems

 

The most popular Open Source Operating System is GNU Linux (pronounced GUH-noo LIN-ucks). Now, there are many different “flavors” of Linux (also called distros). Currently, the most popular distro of Linux is called Ubuntu. Ubuntu has a very active support forums, as well as a very active developer base. Ubuntu is maintained and developed by a for-profit company called Canonical Ltd. Ubuntu is provided free of charge, but if you are interested in professional technical support, Canonical provides this, for a fee of course. In other words, if you are simply interested in using Ubuntu, whether for personal or professional use, you can download Ubuntu and start using it straight away. However, if you intend on using it, say, in an office and are interested in professional technical support, Canonical can provide this service.

 

From my personal experience, Ubuntu has been a breeze to use. You can download an installation file straight from Ubuntu's website, burn it to a CD, and away you go. I have installed Ubuntu on a number of systems, including laptops, desktops, and servers. Thus far, Ubuntu has done a fantastic job of recognizing hardware and working “right out of the box”. Another great feature of Ubuntu is its Repositories. The Repositories are where software available for download and installation are located. Currently, there are over 20,000 different software applications listed in the Ubuntu Repositories. That's over 20,000 different programs to use! Everything from 3D modeling software to CAD software to just about anything you can imagine is in the Repositories. Installation simply requires an internet connection and checking a box in the “Add/Remove” software section. From there, off you go! using your new software.

 

Office Software

 

If you are reading this, you are probably interested in how to use FOSS in an office setting. Well, great news. There is a very nice office software package that comes installed with Ubuntu called OpenOffice.org. (or OOo) Within OOo is a Word Processor (similar to MS Word), Spreadsheet (similar to Excel), Presentation (similar to PowerPoint) and Database (similar to MS Access). The functionality of OOo is on par with MS Office. Additionally, if you are worried about sharing files amongst client, consultants, etc, worry not. You can import any MS document into the corresponding OOo software and alternatively you can export any document created in OOo to an MS Office compatible format. Remember when I said there are often more features and development in FOSS? Well, here's a nice example. Check out this video of some of the new transitions incorporated into Presentation.

 

 

Web browsing

 

No doubt you have probably heard of Firefox. You may even be using it to read this article! Firefox is an open source web browser, and has been one of the more popular and successful FOSS projects recently. It brought us such great innovations as built in pop up blockers, tabbed browsing, and a plethora of plugins to customize your web browsing experience as you see fit.

 

Email and scheduling

 

Evolution is the full featured email client that comes installed by default with Ubuntu. It was just as easily configured as MS Outlook. If you are familiar with Outlook, Evolution will be a snap to use. Evolution includes Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Memos, and a Tasks list. Evolution allows you to connect with Microsoft Exchange, and if you are interested in ditching Exchange and switching to a fully open source alternative there have been recent developments in building a true open source MS Exchange Server substitute. For more information, check out this article.

 

Raster, vector, and page layout

 

Three of the most popular Adobe Creative Suite programs are Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. Each has an open source counter part.

 

One of the most popular and full featured Open Source raster image manipulation programs is called The GIMP. the GIMP offers many features comparable with Adobe Photoshop. Its interface is relatively simple to use, and is currently undergoing a major renovation to improve usability. However, if you are absolutely in love with the PhotoShop intereface, you might want to check out these alternatives: GIMPshop and GimPhoto. Those two projects use GIMP as a base, then change the interface to closely resemble PhotoShop's interface.

 

A program similar in functionality to Adobe InDesign is Scribus. Scribus, an open source desktop publishing application, allows you to easily create multi-page documents, large presentation layouts, and more.

 

Inkscape is an open source vector graphics application very similar in functionality to Adobe Illustrator. Inkscape supports importing Adobe Illustrator files (.ai), so you can convert previous versions of you work into Inkscape files.

 

3D modeling

 

There are multiple options for open source 3D modeling software. One of the most popular and full featured is called Blender. Blender is an exceptionally powerful 3D modeling and rendering applications. Its functionality rivals that of popular proprietary platforms like 3D Studio Max or Rhino 3D. The Blender interface can be a bit tricky at first. However, once you are accustomed to it, you can work seamlessly.

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Implementation options

 

OK, so you might be interested in what's been said so far, but you aren't ready to plunge in head first and completely switch over to FOSS in your business environment. Understandable! How can you try some of these things out? Well, there are some options.

 

Using FOSS in Windows

 

First thing you can do is try out some of this software in the Windows environment. Most of the software listed has both Linux and Windows versions. For example, The GIMP and Blender can both be installed on a Windows machine. Simply download the appropriate version from their respective websites and install them on your Windows machine to give them a try. Just remember, when you were learning the proprietary software, it took time! Be patient and try new things. You'll see that these tools are great to work with, once you get the hang of it.

 

Partition your hard drive

 

Another scenario involves partitioning your hard drive. This is essentially like splitting your hard drive into two halves, keeping your Windows installation on one half and creating another half to install another operating system such as Ubuntu. The Ubuntu installation disk handles this operation quite well, and there is much documentation on how to perform this. Once the hard drive is properly partitioned and the two operation systems are installed, when you start the computer you will have the choice which operation system to boot into. This allows you to experiment and enjoy the full experience of Ubuntu while still having your Windows installation to use. Another added bonus of the Ubuntu installation procedure is that it allows you to import settings and documents from your Windows partition. This allows you to easily import email settings and favorites for any user you choose into Ubuntu straight from Windows. Additionally, the latest version of Ubuntu allows you to easily access your Windows partition for any files you may want to access.

Try Wubi

Wubi (Windows-based Ubuntu Installer) is a Windows based free-software installer for Ubuntu. What this means is that Wubi will allow you to install a version of Ubuntu inside your current Windows installation just like you would any other piece of software, so you can start Ubuntu like you would Photoshop or AutoCAD. This allows you to easily check out Ubuntu without having to worry about technical and occasionally difficult things like disk partitioning.

Using Wine

 

No, I'm not advocation you have a drink to calm your nerves during this whole process. Wine stands for Wine is Not an Emulator (those geeky programmer types love their inaccurate recursive acronyms!). Technically speaking, Wine isnt' a true Windows emulator, but it does allow you to run Windows programs in a Linux environment. This, in essence, will allow you to run programs you know and love, even if you decide to switch to the Linux operation system. For example, two very popular programs in the industry are Sketchup and AutoCAD. Currently there are no Linux versions of either program. In other words, you wouldn't be able to run either of those programs if you completely switched to Linux. But Wine makes it possible to do exactly that. Installing Sketchup was a breeze using Wine.

 

Wine is currently one of the most actively developed Open Source projects, and Google has recently announced it is dedicating resources to further develop Wine. So if you decide Linux is your cup of tea, but just can't let go of Photoshop, Wine is the answer for you.

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That's all Folks!

 

Well, if you're still reading then I hope this article has given you some ideas to get started with Free Open Source Software. We really only scratched the surface of using FOSS, but the resources listed here should serve as a good springboard to get you started with using FOSS.

For a list of open source software that is useful to a design office, have a look at this wiki page.

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