Nunes, AlcinaBalsa, Carlos2010-02-112010-02-112008Nunes, Alcina; Balsa, Carlos (2008). O software open source como instrumento pedagógico: aplicação prática à econometria e à matemática. In XVIII Luso-Spanish Conference on Management - Innovation, Entrepreneurialship, Knowledge and Enterprise in Competitiveness. Porto. ISBN 978-989-20-1009-0978-989-20-1009-0http://hdl.handle.net/10198/1842Nowadays, the software open source represents an important teaching resource. However, it is not sufficiently explored in the university teaching methodologies. In subjects with a very specific goal, applied contents and attended by a small number of students, the commercial software is still preferred to the software open source. Aware of this reality, the present paper presents a reflection about the use of software open source in Econometrics and Applied Mathematics. The adoption of two different software programmes – Gretl and Octave – allows presenting a comprehensive set of pedagogical, economical and technical advantages and some observed practical limitations. In practice, the refereed advantages are stressed when the students’ results are analysed. Their results benefit from the adoption of software which is executed, distributed and improved freely.porSoftware open-sourceTeaching methodologiesEconometricsMathematicsEmpirical applicationconference object