To assist you in finding the software you want, we have arranged our CDs and DVDs into three categories. Call Technical Services if you wish to discuss your requirements or need assistance.
Please Note - We cannot guarantee the suitability of the software for your application. We will, of course, replace any media supplied by us which is found to be defective when received. In this unlikely event, please contact Customer Services to arrange a replacement.
Select a category
Application Software. This category comprises such offerings as OpenOffice.org and other software for home amd office use.
Linux Distributions. Various general-purpose Linux systems including Debian, Fedora, Slackware amongst others.
Dedicated Linux Systems. Although most major Linux distributions can be used to install firewalls and servers for specific purposes, these dedicated systems are designed to simplify the process.
Most of the packages we supply are "Open Source" and can be downloaded, free of charge, from their respective web sites. The download may take several hours, or even a few days with a dial-up connection. As a rough guide, it could take over 50 hours to download a 700MB CD with an analogue (dial-up) connection and nearly two weeks to download a 4.7GB DVD. Furthermore, if the download fails, as often happens, you may have to start the entire download again, which can be very frustrating if it has already been running for a day or more. An 8Mb (8 mega bits per second) broadband connection could download a 700MB CD in about 12 minutes and a 4.7GB DVD in about 1 hour 20 minutes - if it runs at full speed. Be aware, however, that most broadband packages have a limited monthly download allowance and, in some cases, downloading a single DVD could use up your entire monthly allowance.
Downloaded packages are often in the form of an "iso" image, which need to be burned onto a CD or DVD as a disk image: not as an ordinary file. Not all writer software support this mode so, to avoid disappointment and wasted time, if you intend to download the files, check before beginning the download.
To be strictly accurate, Linux® users can mount an .iso file on the filesystem using the -oloop option with "mount" so do not actually need to create a CD. We are not aware of this facility being available under Windows®.
Alternatively, to save having to download and burn the files to CD, buy a CD (or DVD) from us. We aim to dispatch orders received before 13:00 hrs (Mon-Fri) the same day so buying a CD from us can be quicker and cheaper.
