Open Source Software Selection Using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Abstract

There are many potential and good open source software (OSS) products available on the market with a free license. However, with various choices, the adoption rate is still low among potential users because there is not an agreed acceptable set of criteria to evaluate and select various OSS. The criteria of selection may differ between the stakeholders within the organisations. There is a tendency that the user may have a biased perception of an OSS’s characteristics or capabilities for solving problems when selecting OSS products. Other restrictions are caused by inadequate documentation and user manuals, and immature products. Therefore, the users need to consider how to improve their decision making when selecting the most suitable OSS products. In this paper, the background research on the proposed OSS adoption and criteria of selection are discussed and explored. Then the research methodology, processes and implementation of the My Open Source Software Toolkit (MyOSST) v1.0 are covered. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was applied on the selection process and for the purpose of assisting the potential user to decide on the OSS products based on their preferred selection criteria. MyOSST v1.0 was tested and validated by IT professionals in one of the Malaysian universities. The results show that the tool is capable of assisting the decision making process for selecting an appropriate OSS product.