Publication: A Model for Total Cost Determination in Open-Source Software Ownership: Case of Kenyan Universities’ Learning Management System
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2024-03-08
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Computer and Information Science
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Abstract
The adoption of open-source products is slowly increasing; the increase, however, is slower than expected,
considering that most open-source products are freely available. Researchers and scholars have attributed the
adoption levels to, among other things, a lack of know-how of the total cost of ownership of the open-source
software. Thus, it is crucial for the cost of owning the software to be developed. While an ongoing endeavor to
develop a model to determine the total cost of ownership of open-source software, the models have proved to be
less accurate and do not capture essential elements. Moreover, there has been a rising call for organizations to
adopt open-source software to lower the software costs incurred on proprietary software. If the cost of owning
open-source software were known, it would be beneficial as several organizations and institutions could adopt it
readily. The data was collected from Universities in Kiambu and Embu Counties. Linear regression analysis was
done to help develop the model, and a mathematical model was developed. The proposed model was: total cost
of open-source software ownership = direct + +indirect + hidden costs. To validate the model, it was subjected to
expert validation. The model will be an outstanding contribution to information technology as it will make it
possible to come up with the total cost of owning open-source software.