Aim:  The aim of this study is to investigate how the “Freemium”                business model works in ArcMage AB and explore what challenges will ArcMage AB as an open-source software industry face when running the “Freemium” business model. Method: A case study was adopted, and a qualitative research and face-to-face interview were used to collect the fundamental data. We use simple sentence and lots of figures to show what the “Freemium” is and what we are find to make the readers’ understanding easier. Result & Conclusions: The results exhibit that ArcMage AB is run following all 9 blocks of the “Freemium” business model. The value proposition and customer relationship are the most challenging for the open-source software industry. Suggestions for future research: Only adopting one case and one interview in the research is the main limitation. Moreover, the limited sample size limited the research in some generalisations. It is difficult to use only one case to represent the whole situation of the open-source software industry. Furthermore, a larger sample size adopted in the research can increase the reliability of the researcher’s generalization. Contribution of the thesis: This research can be regarded as a guideline to the businessman who wants to build an open-source software company in order to avoid the weakness and threats, and take the opportunities.

Environmental metrics play a significant role in behavioural change, policy formation, education, and industrial decision-making. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful framework for providing information on environmental impacts, but LCA data is under-utilized, difficult to access, and difficult to understand. Some of the issues that are required to be resolved to increase relevancy and use of LCA are accessibility, validation, reporting and publication, and transparency. This thesis proposes that many of these issues can be resolved through the application of open frameworks for LCA software and data. The open source software (OSS), open data, open access, and semantic web movements advocate the transparent development of software and data, inviting all interested parties to contribute. A survey was presented to the LCA community to gauge the community’s interest and receptivity to working within open frameworks, as well as their existing concerns with LCA data. Responses indicated dissatisfaction with existing tools and some interest in open frameworks, though interest in contributing was weak. The responses also pointed out transparency, the expansion of LCA information, and feedback to be desirable areas for improvement. Software for providing online LCA databases was developed according to open source, open data, and linked data principles and practices. The produced software incorporates features that attempt to resolve issues identified in previous literature in addition to needs defined from the survey responses. The developed software offers improvements over other databases in areas of transparency, data structure flexibility, and ability to facilitate user feedback. The software was implemented as a proof of concept, as a test-bed for attracting data contributions from LCA practitioners, and as a tool for interested users. The implementation allows users to add LCA data, to search through LCA data, and to use data from the software in separate independent tools.. The research contributes to the LCA field by addressing barriers to improving LCA data and access, and providing a platform on which LCA database tools and data can develop efficiently, collectively, and iteratively.

Open Source Software has been all about myths until recently, with many people believing that open source isn't reliable because the open source projects are held by a small group of amateurs in their friend's garage. Such myths have been refuted with the emerging success and increased popularity of open source, but still many considered open source and proprietary software to be enemies, which can never co-exist in the corporate platform. As a result, some firms have decided to stick to their tradition of commercial software development, while new firms, which base their corporate strategy solely on open source, have emerged. The former group of firms has suffered from losing time and money in fixing the errors and bugs in the software, whereas the latter group has found difficulties in finding financial support and market share in competition among the former group. Neither group has found absolute success in their business, as result a compromise model has emerged in the software industry, which resulted in a third group of firms that work neither with pure open source model nor with pure proprietary models, but instead with “hybrid” business models which allows integration of these so-called two enemies. Such firms have overcome the pitfalls of both approaches, while combining the benefits of them. The growing success of open-source integration attracted further public attention on the potential importance of open-source software (OSS). Indeed, major large commercial IT companies have started to integrate open-source software into their core strategies. Despite the widespread doubts and resistance during the early stages of open source revolution, there has recently been a “change of perception” in the software development industry towards incorporating open source strategies into their business models. This master thesis investigates the open source software scene in Sweden by examining Swedish firms that develop software products either based on open source components (hybrid model) or just open source products (pure open source model). After analyzing the market based on the business models of these firms, further details of the open source strategies pursued by these firms have been analyzed. Our study then finalizes the investigation with an analysis of the open source development scene in Sweden, which we use to determine the characteristics of the software industry in Sweden. Our conclusions reveal that open source strategy shares most of its components with innovation strategy (with some components found to be specific to open source strategy only), confirming the link between open source software and innovation. Therefore, firms that work with open source software have to pay attention to innovation and form an appropriate innovation and open source strategy if they want to be successful in the software industry.

The purpose of this research was to create measures and models for the evaluation of Open Source Software (OSS) projects. An exploratory analysis of the development and maintenance processes in OSS was conducted for this purpose. Data mining and text mining techniques were used to discover knowledge from transactional datasets maintained on OSS projects. Large and comprehensive datasets were used to formulate, test and validate the models. A new multidimensional measure of OSS project performance, called project viability was defined and validated. A theoretical and empirical measurement framework was used to evaluate the new measure. OSS project data from SourceForge.net was used to validate the new measure. Results indicated that project viability is a measure of the performance of OSS projects. Three models were then created for each dimension of project viability. Multiple data mining techniques were used to create the models. Variables identified from process, product, resource and end-user characteristics of the project were used. The use of new variables created through text mining improved the performance of the models. The first model was created for OSS projects in the development phase. The results indicated that end-user involvement could play a significant role in the development of OSS projects. It was also discovered that certain types of projects are more suitable for development in OSS communities. The second model was developed for OSS projects in their maintenance phase. A two-stage model for maintenance performance was selected. The results indicated that high project usage and usefulness could improve the maintenance performance of OSS projects. The third model was developed to investigate the affects of maintenance activities on the project internal structure. Maintenance data for Linux project was used to develop a new taxonomy for OSS maintenance patches. These results were then used to study the affects of various types of patches on the internal structure of the software. It was found that performing proactive maintenance on the software moderates its internal structure.

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Öppen programvara kan enklast beskrivas som programvara där källkoden är tillgänglig, vilket gör det möjligt att modifiera, utveckla, kopiera och distribuera denna om så önskas (Statskontoret, 2004). Enligt Statskontorets hemsida (2004) används öppen programvara främst för att uppnå ett större oberoende av pris- och licensvillkor inom landets statliga institutioner. Eftersom nyttjandet av öppen programvara medför många fördelar anser Statskontoret (2005) att den offentliga förvaltningen ska beakta möjligheterna med denna typ av mjukvara i större utsträckning. I en rapport från Statskontoret (2004) om erfarenheter av öppen programvara inom den offentliga förvaltningen, anges att majoriteten har valt att anskaffa öppen programvara av besparingsskäl.</p><p>Vi har i denna uppsats undersökt högskolors och universitets syn på öppen programvara. Detta för att erhålla kunskap om de grundläggande orsakerna bakom olika mjukvaruinvesteringar inom dessa lärosäten. I dagsläget används inte öppen programvara i den utsträckning som är möjlig inom högskolor och universitet i Sverige. Vad beror det på? Vilka faktorer eller kriterier vägs in vid mjukvaruinvesteringsbeslut inom dessa organisationer? Hur har utvecklingen av användandet av öppen programvara sett ut på högskolor och universitet i Sverige, historiskt sett? Syftet är att kartlägga orsakerna bakom investeringar i eller avsaknaden av öppen programvara på högskolor och universitet i Sverige.</p><p>Då vi haft för avsikt att få en uppfattning om orsaker bakom investeringar i öppen programvara på högskolor och universitet i Sverige, har vi valt att göra kvalitativa intervjuer genom att besöka respektive studieobjekt. Detta då vi varit i behov av information som beskriver sakförhållanden, skeenden och ger uttryck för personliga uppfattningar, för att uppnå vårt syfte och besvara uppsatsens problemställning. När det gäller urvalet av respondenter för undersökningen består populationen av samtliga universitet och högskolor i Sverige, statliga såväl som privata. Vi har valt att begränsa vår undersökning till ett urval av populationen, där samplet består av tre lärosäten som har eller saknar erfarenheter av öppen programvara.</p><p>De mest centrala iakttagelserna vi gjort i undersökningen är att samtliga universitet/högskolor som deltagit i undersökningen anger att investeringar i öppen programvara inte beror på besparingsskäl, tvärtom är denna typ av programvara ett dyrare alternativ för läroanstalterna. Något annat som observerats är att flera läroanstalter saknar en tydlig supportfunktion för öppen programvara. Statskontorets (2004) anger dock att öppen programvara främst används för att uppnå ett större oberoende av pris- och licensvillkor. Detta oberoende uppfattar läroanstalterna emellertid som mindre tryggt, då allt ansvar förs över på användaren själv, vad gäller uppdateringar, modifieringar etc. Detta överrensstämmer inte med det som anges i rapporten från Statskontorets (2004) vad gäller orsaker bakom investeringar i öppen programvara.</p><p>Vi anser att universitet och högskolor i Sverige borde vara politiskt oberoende institutioner och ha ett ansvar som gentemot studenter. Detta genom att erbjuda produkter inom utbildningarnas områden som inte valts på grund av en stor aktör, vilkens makt på marknaden kan liknas vid ett monopol. Läroanstalterna har enligt vår åsikt en mycket viktig roll vad gäller den fortsatta utvecklingen och användandet av öppen programvara. Vi anser därför att dessa institutioner borde beakta valmöjligheten, inte endast på grund av ekonomiska skäl utan också för att bidra till en ökad konkurrens på mjukvarumarknaden.</p> / <p>Abstract</p><p>Open Source Software (OSS) can be defined as software where the source code is accessible by anyone who wants to modify, develop, copy and/or distribute it (Statskontoret, 2004). According to the website of the Swedish government agency for public management (2004) OSS is utilized mainly to become more independent of pricing and licensing conditions within the public institutions in Sweden. As the use of OSS comprises a number of advantages, the agency for public management (2005) believes that the public sector should consider the possibility of using this type of software to a greater extent. In a report from the agency for public management (2004) about the experience of OSS within the public sector, it is stated that the majority have chosen to acquire OSS due to reduction in costs.</p><p>In this essay we have examined universities view on OSS in order to obtain knowledge regarding the basic reasons behind different software investments within these institutions. Today OSS is not utilized to its full extent within institutions of higher education in Sweden. Why is that? What factors or criteria are taken into consideration when making software investment decisions and how has the use of this type of software evolved over the years within these institutions? The purpose of this essay is to survey the reasons behind investments in, or the lack of OSS within universities in Sweden.</p><p>As our intention is to get an idea of the reasons behind investments in OSS within these institutions, we have chosen to make qualitative interviews by visiting each object for the study. We have chosen this method as we have been in need of information which describes the course of events and expresses individual opinions, in order to achieve the purpose of the essay and answer the questions stated in the presentation of the problem. Regarding the selection of respondents for the research, the population consists of all universities in Sweden, both public and private. We have chosen to limit the research to a selection of the population, where the sample consists of three universities which have or lack experience from OSS.</p><p>The most important findings we have made in the research is that all universities that have participated states that investments made in OSS is not due to financial reasons, as they believe that larger investments in this type of software instead would increase the costs. Something else that we have observed is that several universities believe that OSS lacks an apparent support function. However, the agency for public management (2004) states that OSS mainly is used to become more independent of pricing and licensing conditions. This independency is on the other hand looked upon as less secure, by the universities, as the whole responsibility is resting on the shoulders of the user, concerning updates, modifications etc. This does not apply with what is stated in the reports from the Swedish agency for public management (2004) regard-ing the reasons behind investments in OSS.</p><p>We believe that institutions of higher education should be politically independent and have a responsibility towards the students. This, by offering products within the educational areas that are not chosen due to the power of one multinational company, which bears the resemblance of a monopoly. Universities have according to our opinion a very important roll to play in the future of OSS. Hence we think these institutions should consider the option, not only due to financial reasons but also in order to contribute to an increased competition in the software market.</p>

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

Three global trends are about to greatly influence the world we live in; collaborate consumption, a strong environmental awareness and a third industrial revolution that includes 3D printing, advanced robotics and open source software. This project is addressing these changes in order to evoke new enthusiasm for cars among the general public and again be a creative and positive driving force in our modern society. The proposal is illustrated through a halo car for a local car sharing fleet targeted at the Norwegian market. The car seeks to create immediate attention through dynamic design elements as well as long lasting enthusiasm through non-compromised usability.

Šio projekto tikslas sukurti programinę įrangą, kuri padės muziejines vertybes padaryti prieinamas plačiajai visuomenei. Sistemos veikimo principas paremtas atviro turinio pildymu. Didėjant interneto vartotojų skaičiui, augant informacijos kiekiams internete, tampa sunku ir per brangu vienam žmogui ar organizacijai aprašyti, kategorizuoti ar kitaip apibūdinti informaciją. Todėl atsirado nauja metodologija pavadinta anglišku terminu „Folksonomy“,kurį lietuviškai būtų galima pavadinti žmonių taksonomija. Tai yra informacijos internete viešas pateikimas, naudojant visiškai neapribotus ir nesuvaržytus apibūdinimus. Taip gali būti aprašytos internetinės svetainės, nuotraukos, nuorodos.„Folksnonomy“ tikriausiai yra priešingybė taksonomijai, kur aprašymo sistemos autoriai dažniausiai yra turinio kurį aprašo autoriai. Aprašymai yra bendrai vadinami žymėmis (Tags), o aprašymo procesas – žymėjimas (tagging). Šio žymėjimo tikslas yra padaryti informaciją lengviau randamą, lengviau išaiškinamą ir lengviau skleidžiamą internete. Žmonių taksonomija atsirado internetinių bendruomenių pagrindu.Jos sukūrė galimybę Interneto vartotojams aprašyti ir pasidalinti pačių sukurtu turiniu, pavyzdžiui: fotografijomis, interneto svetainių, knygų katalogais. Darbe nagrinėjama tyrimo sritis susijusi su paveikslų žymėjimo sistemų projektavimu ir galimų projektavimo metodų parinkimu. Analitinėje darbo dalyje pristatomos panašios sistemos, jos lyginamos. Projektinėje dalyje pateikiama suprojektuotos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The main objective of this project was to design and develop open source software for image tagging. During this process the analysis of alternative image tagging systems was performed, as well as gathering system requirements. When the system was developed, there was made a research to determine software quality. There was made three types of researches: research of software functionality, research of software quality to fit ISO 9126 standard and research of using DB objects. Finally it was determined that software for image tagging fits most functional requirements. Also It fits ISO 9126 quality standards. And using DB objects was justifiable and suitable for this kind of system.

The adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning tools has improved business processes in organisations. This increase has, however come with challenges for the small and medium business sector. First the adoption and deployment of proprietary ERP comes at great cost for organisations whilst it is also difficult for the organisations to ensure that scalability is introduced due to the dynamic change in the SME sector. The adoption and use of open source ERP tools then presents an opportunity for the SME sector. The usage of open source software has increased over the years. This increase has also extended to open source ERP tools. These tools offer the same functions as the proprietary at a fraction of the cost. Despite the benefits that open source ERP offers diffusion of this technology into the SME sector in South Africa has been minimal. This means the SME sector in South Africa is not benefiting from the widely available cost effective open source ERP available in the market. An opportunity therefore exists for them to utilise the technology to gain competitive advantage. The research was done primarily to determine the open source ERP adoption patterns of SMEs in the Vaal region. The research sought to determine the drivers for ERP adoption and barriers to adoption. Focus was specifically extended to investigating knowledge on open source alternatives. The results from the research indicate that the SMEs understand the benefits of adopting ERP for their businesses. The research further revealed that the adoption factors identified in the literature are still relevant in South Africa. The factors identified included costs, lack of training, lack of support, lack of knowledge and the lack of open source vendors. The empirical research also identified that the SME still harbour fear about open source ERP tools due to lack of training ,support and knowledge .From the study it is clear that a new approach needs to be taken to encourage adoption of open source ERP. These approaches include giving incentives to SMEs to adopt open source ERP. These incentives may be in the form of training packages and skills workshops to help overcome the barriers and improve implementation of open source ERP. The research identified the critical need for increased formal education and training in open source software development and emphasis on ERP tools. Government research bodies need to play a role in this area. For an example, there is need for SME and university collaborations in open source ERP deployment, whereby the latter needs to include software development tools in their curricula for SMEs so as to increase awareness. Clear–cut comparisons of existing proprietary systems against open source systems by focusing on functional and technological requirements need to be undertaken. This will help to reflect a cost benefit analysis as well as interoperability between the open source ERP and existing systems. During the adoption process, SME are encouraged to go through the full life cycle of open source ERP adoption. In this cycle the SME needs to do a thorough analysis regarding selection, implementation, integration, migration, training and evaluation of installed tools. That way they will gain the competitive advantage afforded by the tools. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning tools has improved business processes in organisations. This increase has, however come with challenges for the small and medium business sector. First the adoption and deployment of proprietary ERP comes at great cost for organisations whilst it is also difficult for the organisations to ensure that scalability is introduced due to the dynamic change in the SME sector. The adoption and use of open source ERP tools then presents an opportunity for the SME sector. The usage of open source software has increased over the years. This increase has also extended to open source ERP tools. These tools offer the same functions as the proprietary at a fraction of the cost. Despite the benefits that open source ERP offers diffusion of this technology into the SME sector in South Africa has been minimal. This means the SME sector in South Africa is not benefiting from the widely available cost effective open source ERP available in the market. An opportunity therefore exists for them to utilise the technology to gain competitive advantage. The research was done primarily to determine the open source ERP adoption patterns of SMEs in the Vaal region. The research sought to determine the drivers for ERP adoption and barriers to adoption. Focus was specifically extended to investigating knowledge on open source alternatives. The results from the research indicate that the SMEs understand the benefits of adopting ERP for their businesses. The research further revealed that the adoption factors identified in the literature are still relevant in South Africa. The factors identified included costs, lack of training, lack of support, lack of knowledge and the lack of open source vendors. The empirical research also identified that the SME still harbour fear about open source ERP tools due to lack of training ,support and knowledge .From the study it is clear that a new approach needs to be taken to encourage adoption of open source ERP. These approaches include giving incentives to SMEs to adopt open source ERP. These incentives may be in the form of training packages and skills workshops to help overcome the barriers and improve implementation of open source ERP. The research identified the critical need for increased formal education and training in open source software development and emphasis on ERP tools. Government research bodies need to play a role in this area. For an example, there is need for SME and university collaborations in open source ERP deployment, whereby the latter needs to include software development tools in their curricula for SMEs so as to increase awareness. Clear–cut comparisons of existing proprietary systems against open source systems by focusing on functional and technological requirements need to be undertaken. This will help to reflect a cost benefit analysis as well as interoperability between the open source ERP and existing systems. During the adoption process, SME are encouraged to go through the full life cycle of open source ERP adoption. In this cycle the SME needs to do a thorough analysis regarding selection, implementation, integration, migration, training and evaluation of installed tools. That way they will gain the competitive advantage afforded by the tools. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.