Choosing an operating system for a business may seem like a no-brainier: Windows. It is definitely the front-runner, but contrary to popular belief it isn’t necessarily the only choice for the small business environment.

If you’re like most busy people, one of the persistent things on your to-do list is bringing your to-do list into the 21st century. Nowadays, it’s only the rarest of cubicle dwellers who can get by with only a wall calendar and sticky notes. Most of us require something a little more flexible and portable, something that not only can exchange calendar information between various devices and applications but also can organize tasks in hierarchical lists and categorize by project.

If Benjamin Franklin had penned his famous aphorism about death and taxes today, he might have been tempted to include Microsoft Office on his short list of life’s unpleasant inevitabilities. Might have, if not for the numerous alternatives to the ubiquitous office software suite available nowadays.

Rick Anderson, an information systems technician for The Bellingham Herald, and Matt McDonald, online project manager and Mac technician for The Bellingham Herald, write a "Tech Guys" column for Whatcom Business Magazine.