App suite almost all open source

With fiscal economy its watchword, travel ASP Viata has succeeded in paying for only a few applications. Everything else, from database server (PostgreSQL) to e-mail server (PostFix) to VPN (Linux FreeS/WAN) to firewall (iptables), is free. In the last year or so, Viata has purchased only Macromedia's ColdFusion Server and Stronghold 3 128-bit encryption software from C2net (now owned by Red Hat Inc.). "As long as it's good software, I don't mind paying for it," says Deven Phillips, Viata network administrator and security officer.

Some applications needed by the company run only on Windows, which is a continuing point of frustration, says IS director David Quitt. For example, there is no Linux version of the ColdFusion tool kit or Adobe Photoshop. Developers complain about being forced to use substitute applications, such as Gimp, an open-source Photoshop stand-in.

Another drawback is lack of confidence in the customer base. "If you tell them you're using something they've never heard of, like PostgreSQL [rather than SQL Server], they may think you're not a serious company," says Quitt. He believes this problem is lessening as Linux becomes better known.