Re-evaluating Open Source for Sustaining Competitive Advantage for Hosted Applications

The use of open source in hosted solutions is undoubtedly widespread. However, it is seldom considered important in its own right, nor do the majority of hosted solutions providers contribute to or create open source as natural artifacts of doing good business. In this exploration of the nature of h...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Daniel Crenna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Carleton University 2010-03-01
Series:Technology Innovation Management Review
Online Access:http://timreview.ca/sites/default/files/Issue_PDF/april10_osbr.pdf
Description
Summary:The use of open source in hosted solutions is undoubtedly widespread. However, it is seldom considered important in its own right, nor do the majority of hosted solutions providers contribute to or create open source as natural artifacts of doing good business. In this exploration of the nature of hosted solutions and their developers, it is suggested that not only consuming open source, but creating and disseminating it to collaborators and competitors alike, is essential to success. By establishing an open source ecosystem where hosted solutions compete on differentiation rather than lose time and money to concerns that are expected by users, do not add value, and benefit from public scrutiny, hosted solution providers can reduce the cost of their solution, the time it takes to deliver new ones, and improve their quality without additional resources.
ISSN:1927-0321