Musicians might recognize the name Ernie Ball as an icon credited with being an electric guitar industry pioneer. Ernie Ball Inc., the global manufacturer of guitar strings, electric guitars and basses, that bears his name, is now making a name for itself as a software industry pioneer.
Over the past two years, Ernie Ball, the company, has moved its IT system almost entirely to open- source software, ditching older systems powered by Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system. It represents a growing class of small- and medium-sized businesses finding opportunity in alternative software such as the Linux operating system.
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