This paper was prepared as part of The MITRE Corporation's FY00 Mission-Oriented Investigation and Experimentation (MOIE) research project "Open Source Software in Military Systems".
A Business Case Study of Open Source Software
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This paper was prepared as part of The MITRE Corporation's FY00 Mission-Oriented Investigation and Experimentation (MOIE) research project "Open Source Software in Military Systems." This paper analyzes the business case of open source software. It is intended to help Program Managers evaluate whether open source software and development methodologies are applicable to their technology programs. In the Executive Summary, the paper explains open source, describes its significance, compares open source to traditional commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, presents the military business case, shows the applicability of Linux to the military business case, analyzes the use of Linux, discusses anomalies, and provides considerations for military Program Managers. The paper also provides a history of Unix and Linux, presents a business case model, and analyzes the commercial business case of Linux.