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The Effect of Switching Costs on user Resistance in the Adoption of Open Source Software  

Kim, Hee-Woong (Yonsei University, Graduate School of Information)
Noh, Seung-Eui (Yonsei University, Graduate School of Information)
Lee, Hyun-Lyung (Yonsei University, Graduate School of Information)
Kwahk, Kee-Young (Kookmin University, School of Business IT)
Publication Information
Information Systems Review / v.11, no.3, 2009 , pp. 125-146 More about this Journal
Abstract
The emergence of open source software(OSS) with its most prominent advantages creates a vast interest among practitioners. A study on Linux, the most well-known OSS, estimated that it would cost as 5.4 billion Euros taking over 73,000 person-years if it had been developed by conventional means. However, Linux has achieved only 0.65 percent of the operating system market for individual users while Microsoft windows family counts for nearly 90 percent of the market. Much of the effort being spent in the development of OSS is going to waste and potential value that OSS can bring to users is not being realized. Adoption of OSS is often accompanied by the discontinuance of existing software that is already in place. If users resist changing, they may not adopt OSS. Using the case of Linux, this study examines user resistance to change from the commercial operating software to the free operating system. This study identifies six sub-types of switching costs (uncertainty, emotional, setup, learning, lost benefit, and sunk costs) and tests their effects on user resistance to change based on a survey of 201 users. The results show that user resistance to change has a negative impact on the adoption of OSS. Further, this study shows that uncertainty and emotional costs have significant effects on user resistance to change. Beyond previous research on technology adoption, this research contributes towards an understanding of the switching costs leading to user resistance to change and offers suggestions to OSS practitioners for developing strategies to improve the adoption of OSS.
Keywords
Open Source Software; User Resistance To Change; Switching Costs; Technology Adoption;
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