Success factors for using open source software
- Analysis of requirements and specification
Like with any procurement of software the intended user scenario and the resulting requirements should be defined and weighted at the beginning. This allows for the deduction of necessary functionalities and their importance. - Evaluation of product
suitable open source software must be evaluated intensively against the specification for the particular application. This process also helps to uncover potential weaknesses in terms of technical stability or product maturity. - Use of "stable releases"
Only so called “stable releases” should be considered when selecting suitable products. Beta versions are too error-prone. - Activities of the developer community
Activities of the developer community is a yardstick for future development of the product. New versions should be released in regular intervals. Only if a continuous development of the product is apparent the community will have sufficient dynamics in order to adapt the tool to the ever changing requirements. A so called roadmap usually published in the internet can also serve as an indicator planned development in the medium term. - Presence of product in the market
a large number of users speaks for itself in terms of a stable and powerful open source product and assures that new versions will be tested by many users and potential errors will be discovered and rectified quickly. A list of reference installations – available in the internet - should provide information about the user community. - Activities of the user community
The activity of the user community represents another important aspect for future development of the software. In support forums usually accessible via the websites of the suppliers of the products users exchange experiences and practical problems they encountered and help each other to find solutions. In addition desirable modifications and further development of the tools are also discussed in such forums. - Observance of standard
As is the case when procuring commercial software one should protect one’s investment by only selecting content products that support future oriented standards (such as LOM and SCORM). This avoids pitfalls such as investment into outdated products that necessitate a change to another product as soon as one’s own requirements cannot be met anymore. - Professional support
Professional support is a particularly important aspect when using open source software. Specialised service companies should be available that offer contractual agreements (service level agreements) in order to assure trouble free operation as well as regular maintenance - Organisational implementation
Like with commercial software the implementation of open source software requires certain measures in terms of organisation such as training of employees that have to be budgeted accordingly. Both manpower and financial resources for sustainable operations and a potential expansion at a later stage must be catered for.
