The Benefits of Open Source

If you are a building a website or a forum, chances are you are using a web editor or paying for message board services. The costs of using these "out of the box" products can add up, especially if you are trying to grow your business. Let's look at some good "open source" options for you to consider. You may be surprised at how much money open source can save you.

What is open source? The webopedia describes it as follows:

Generically, open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge, i.e., open. Open source code is typically created as a collaborative effort in which programmers improve upon the code and share the changes within the community. Open source sprouted in the technological community as a response to proprietary software owned by corporations.

Not all open source programs are worth downloading, but there are a few that merit further attention, including:

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Wireless Networks: How Do They Work?

Wireless networks use radio waves instead of wires to transmit data between computers. Here's how:

The Binary Code: 1s and 0s

It's well known that computers transmit information digitally, using binary code: ones and zeros. This translates well to radio waves, since those 1s and 0s can be represented by different kinds of beeps. These beeps are so fast that they're outside the hearing range of humans.

Morse Code: Dots And Dashes

It works like Morse code, which is a way to transmit the alphabet over radio waves using dots (short beeps) and dashes (long beeps). Morse code was used manually for years via telegraph to get information from 1 place to another very quickly. More importantly for this example, though, it is a binary system, just as a computer system is.

Wireless networking, then, can be thought of as a Morse code for computers. You plug in a combined radio receiver and transmitter, and the computer is able to send out its equivalent of dots and dashes (bits, in computer-speak) to get your data from here to there.

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Thermal paper is ultimately cheaper.

Thermal paper is cleaner than your standard ink, produces a crisper resolution, and is ultimately cheaper. Though thermal paper used to be considerably more expensive, the price has come down in recent years, thanks in part to better technology that allows its manufacturers to produce it at a more reasonable cost. Moreover, a thermal paper roll is quieter than bond paper, which is an added bonus for any shopper at the end of a long day.

Appleton uses ideas that make a difference to create product solutions through its development and use of coating formulations and applications, encapsulation technology, and specialized and secure print services. The Company produces carbonless, thermal, security, and performance packaging products. Appleton is headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, and has manufacturing operations in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom, employs approximately 3,400 people, and is 100 percent employee owned.

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