Should You Adopt Open Source Software?

Abstract

Many organizations use open source infrastructure software such as Linux, and open source software (OSS) is generally considered a viable technology. Both professional and academic literature devote much attention to the OSS phenomenon. However, decision makers considering the adoption of OSS face a plethora of books, research papers, and articles highlighting OSS's advantages and disadvantages. Different articles attach different levels of importance to these advantages or factors related to the adoption decision. Reasons for adopting OSS vary from the pragmatic. Organizations must consider the advantages and disadvantages of open source software before adopting it.