ABSTRACT
The objective of this research is to identify the factors that influence the migration of free software to proprietary software, or vice-versa. The theoretical framework was developed in light of the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DIT) proposed by Rogers (1976Rogers, E. (1976). "New Product Adoption and Diffusion."Journal of Consumer Research, 2(4), 290-301., 1995)Rogers, E. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations. New York: Free Press., and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) proposed by Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis (2003)Venkatesh, V., Morris, M., Davis, G., and Davis, F. (2003). "User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View."MIS Quarterly, 27 (3), 425-478.. The research was structured in two phases: the first phase was exploratory, characterized by adjustments of the revised theory to fit Brazilian reality and the identification of companies that could be the subject of investigation; and the second phase was qualitative, in which case studies were conducted at ArcelorMittal Tubarão (AMT), a private company that migrated from proprietary software (Unix) to free software (Linux), and the city government of Serra, in Espírito Santo state, a public organization that migrated from free software (OpenOffice) to proprietary (MS Office). The results show that software migration decision takes into account factors that go beyond issues involving technical or cost aspects, such as cultural barriers, user rejection and resistance to change. These results underscore the importance of social aspects, which can play a decisive role in the decision regarding software migration and its successful implementation.
Keywords:
migration; free software; proprietary software; adoption; innovation
Source: The authors