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Re: The Ubuntu software repository contains over 121 million lines of code and is worth over 7 billion dollars



 On 10/6/07, Kristian Erik Hermansen <[hidden email]> wrote: 
> Using the COCOMO model, they estimated the actual cost to produce the 
> software in the Ubuntu repositories.  Very interesting.  I wonder if 
> it is accurate, but I wouldn't be surprised if the final number was 
> close... 
> http://www.fsckin.com/2007/09/29/giving-away-software-for-free-costs-more-than-you-would-think/
> 

I do believe the COCOMO model [1] and specifically the SLOCCount tool 
from David Wheeler are accurate.  David was the one to estimate in 
2001 that RedHat Linux v7.1 cost more than a Gigabuck. [2] [3] 

I've used sloccount many times, and I was puzzled by the OP's method 
(manually removing some files) because SLOCCount has reasonable 
heuristics for deciding what is source and what is not. 

Still, whether you manually remove some README files, or let the 
program do the work for you, I believe it provides a good framework 
around an open and accepted method for determining the cost of 
software. 

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COCOMO
[2] http://www.dwheeler.com/sloc/
[3] http://www.dwheeler.com/sloc/redhat71-v1/redhat71sloc.html

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