Evaluating the Potential of Free and Open Source Software in the Developing World

Development organizations and international nongovernmental organizations NGOs have been emphasizing the high potential of free and open source software FOSS for the less developed countries LDCs. Cost reduction, less vendor dependency, and increased potential for local capacity development have been their main arguments. In spite of its advantages, FOSS is not widely adopted on the African continent. In this article the experiences of one of the largest FOSS migrations in Africa is evaluated. The purpose of the evaluation is to make an on-the-ground assessment of the claims about the development potential of FOSS and draw up a research agenda for a FOSS community concerned with the LDCs.