Linux As Operating System For I-Cafés

Like it was in 2005 when the government conducted the first nationwide campaign against software piracy, the clamor nowadays is again to look at Linux as an alternative operating system (OS) for i-cafés. The idea to use Linux in i-cafés  crops-up every time there is a crackdown on the use cracked or pirated proprietary software. The recent low-price offering of licenses for the proprietary Windows OS and MS Office productivity suite under the Microsoft I-Café Program was beneficial to some i-café owners who decided to avail of the promo to legalize the pirated software that they are using. However, for those who cannot afford or simply do not want to use proprietary software anymore, Linux is their best alternative if they wish to continue operating legally without fear of getting caught for violating the intellectual property rights of the software developers.

Linux, as it is commonly called, is a free and open-source software (FOSS) that can be used and distributed freely. It comes in many versions (also called "flavors") called distros and the choice of which distro to use depending on the applications that a business or consumer need to run on his computer. Almost all distros come with office productivity software so any one of the popular Linux OS can be used in an office environment. A complete listing together with reviews of the different Linux distros can be found at DistroWatch.com where the download links for every "flavor" can also be found.

Internet café business requires some applications not commonly used by others in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Aside from the usual networking software, a time management system normally called i-café timer is a must in an i-café environment. Another is the roll-over software which makes a computer unit starts on its original install condition every time it is restarted. These and some more requirements of an i-café set-up must be considered in the choice of the Linux distro to be used.

Considering the above-stated requirements in an i-café set-up, we find the Zencafé GNU/Linux worth looking into as a distro that natively has the following features:

• GNU/Linux Operating System, kernel 2.6.28.7
• OpenOffice.org 3 (Office Applications)
• Firefox (Internet Browser)
• Pidgin and Gyachi (Instant Messenger)
• Cafe Con Leche (Internet Cafe Management Software)
• Autorecovery (Kiosk mode protection, “DeepFreeze like tools”)

As a last note, many of the Windows-based online and offline network games will not run natively on any of the currently available Linux distros.