Note: Combining unclassified data releases could possibly lead to a security
problem
Criteria
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Definition
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Importance Ranking In Project Context
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Comments
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Functionality
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Does the program do what you want it to do? (REF Wheeler)
User application requirements
Match between requirements and the features offered
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Cost
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Initial license fees, installation costs, training costs,
support/maintenance costs, license upgrade fees (usually nominal for OSS/FS
programs), transition costs (such as data transition and/or transition to
upgrades), and the costs of any necessary hardware. For a more balanced
picture you may wish to separate one-time costs, such as those for
transitions, from continuing costs.
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Required Support and Maintenance
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The term 'support' covers several areas: training users on how to use the
product, installing it, and answering questions from users who have specific
problems trying to use a working product and suggesting work-around for
weaknesses in the current product. Useful programs are seldom completely
static. Needs change, new uses are continuously created, and no program is
perfect. In general, is there evidence that the software is under continuous
development, or has work halted?
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Reliability
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Reliability is difficult to measure, and it depends very much on how the
program is used. (REF Wheeler) GRAM, GRAS are good places to start
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Quality
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How well do the features you need seem to work? Do you like how they have
been implemented?
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Ease of Migration for Users
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If moving from another software package, how hard is the migration
process? Is it likely that users will have a difficult time adapting?
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Performance and Scalability
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The best way to measure performance is to try it on an actual case
specific to your circumstance
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Flexibility and Scalability
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How hard is it to customize and adapt the software to your organization's
needs? Will the software grow with your needs? Is it scalable?
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User friendliness
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Is the use of the software intuitive and obvious, given the skills of the
people who will be using it? Is there a steep learning curve? Is it likely
that users will have a difficult time adapting?
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Developer Usability
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Measure how easily programmers can use the application programmer
interface (API). If the application sometimes needs to be controlled by
programs, it is a significant advantage if it has a command line interface
and a GUI that lets users control the engine through a familiar
point-and-click interface.
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Legal and License Issues
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OSS/FS software licenses are important to developers, and they can affect
users who may become developers, or who may pay developers to make a change,
but not users who do not change the software.
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Trustworthiness
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Look at the code to see if the OSS/FS appears privileges; it strives for
simplicity; it checks inputs carefully; to be trustworthy, i.e. it follows
good practices, such as: it minimizes and source code scanning tools find
few problems.
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