Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(120,083)
- Faculty Publications (337)
- November 2006 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
eDonkey--Deciding the Future of File Sharing
Sam Yagan, CEO of the upstart MetaMachine, Inc., received a letter from the Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. (RIAA) asking him to shut down eDonkey, MetaMachine's popular file-sharing system. In September 2005, more than 30 million users relied on... View Details
- October 2006 (Revised February 2010)
- Case
Linux vs. Windows
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Jordan Mitchell
As of 2006, Microsoft is finding that its dominant position in client and server operating systems is under attack from Linux. While Linux has only 3% of the worldwide installed base of PC operating systems, it had captured 20% of the server market by the end of 2005... View Details
- July 2006
- Article
Dynamic Mixed Duopoly: A Model Motivated by Linux vs. Windows
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pankaj Ghemawat
This paper analyzes a dynamic mixed duopoly in which a profit-maximizing competitor interacts with a competitor that prices at zero (or marginal cost), with the cumulation of output affecting their relative positions over time. The modeling effort is motivated by... View Details
Keywords: Open Source Software; Demand-side Learning; Network Effects; Linux; Mixed Duopoly; Competitive Dynamics; Business Models; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Business Model; Mathematical Methods; Digital Platforms; Profit; Balance and Stability; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; SWOT Analysis; Competition; Price; Information Technology Industry
- July 2006
- Article
Exploring the Structure of Complex Software Designs: An Empirical Study of Open Source and Proprietary Code
By: Alan MacCormack, John Rusnak and Carliss Y. Baldwin
- April 2006 (Revised April 2007)
- Case
Endeca Technologies: New Growth Opportunities
By: Paul A. Gompers and Kristin Perry
Steve Papa, CEO of Endeca Technologies, must decide whether to expand into a new market with a new application of his company's technology. Endeca has experienced significant success with its information access software in the online retail industry, and in September... View Details
- Article
The Information Technology Ecosystem: Structure, Health, and Performance
By: Marco Iansiti and Gregory L. Richards
A number of modern industries are organized as complex networks of firms whose integrated efforts are necessary to deliver value to end customers. The complexity of these networks, or business ecosystems, and the associated interdependencies among firms, make... View Details
- November 2005 (Revised February 2006)
- Case
Oracle vs. PeopleSoft (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine, Guhan Subramanian and David Millstone
Focuses on the hotly contested takeover battle between software rivals Oracle and PeopleSoft in 2003 and 2004. Raises novel issues of takeover law under Delaware corporate law as well as issues of fair competition under California law. A central issue is whether the... View Details
- 5 Nov 2005 - 8 Nov 2005
- Conference Presentation
Exploring the Architecture of Complex Software Products
By: Alan MacCormack
- October 2005 (Revised February 2007)
- Case
Red Flag Software Co.
By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Tarun Khanna, David Lane and Elizabeth Raabe
In 2005, just five years after its formal launch, Beijing-based Red Flag Software was the world's second-largest distributor of the Linux operating system and was expecting its first annual profit. On a unit basis, Red Flag led the world in desktops (PCs) shipped with... View Details
- October 2005 (Revised February 2006)
- Case
Reactivity: A Case of Re-Invention
By: Myra M. Hart and Sylvia Sensiper
By the time Glenn Osaka joined Reactivity as its new CEO in January 2001, the Internet bubble had burst, the financial markets had turned, and the company's core businesses were drying up. He was not hired to lead a turnaround, but Osaka found that the firm's future... View Details
- September 2005 (Revised May 2006)
- Case
Teradyne Corporation: The Jaguar Project
By: Francesca Gino and Gary P. Pisano
Teradyne, a leading manufacturer of semiconductor test equipment, embarked on a multiyear effort to improve its product development capabilities and to implement more formalized project management approaches. Examines the development of a new-generation tester that... View Details
- June 2005 (Revised January 2006)
- Case
Microsoft in 2005
By: David B. Yoffie, Darmesh M Mehta and Rudina I Seseri
Focuses on Microsoft's strategy for sustaining competitive advantage in the global software industry. Also, explores Microsoft's history and its current position, as it tries to diversify its product and service revenue streams. View Details
- 1 Apr 2005 - 4 Apr 2005
- Conference Presentation
Exploring the Structure of Complex Software Designs: An Empirical Study of Open Source and Proprietary Code
By: Alan MacCormack
- March 2005
- Background Note
Home Video Games: Generation Seven
By: Elie Ofek
Discusses the issues facing firms in the seventh generation of home video game platforms. In particular, Sony and Microsoft plan to launch new game consoles in the 2005 to 2006 time frame. Each firm seems to be following a different strategy. Microsoft wants to launch... View Details
- 2005
- Book
Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software
By: Joe Feller, Brian Fitzgerald, Scott Hissam and Karim R. Lakhani
- November 2004 (Revised May 2010)
- Case
RightNow Technologies
By: William A. Sahlman and Dan Heath
The founder and CEO of a CRM software start-up must decide between an attractive acquisition offer and the opportunity to go public. Discusses the growth of the company--including a lengthy discussion of entrepreneurial bootstrapping--as well as an aborted IPO attempt... View Details
- 24 Oct 2004 - 27 Oct 2004
- Conference Presentation
Empirical Research in Software Deveopment: Lessons from the Field
By: Alan MacCormack
- July 2004 (Revised March 2006)
- Case
RosettaNet and ebXML: Betting on the Right eBusiness Standard
By: F. Warren McFarlan and Veronika Belokhvostova
A major enterprise software company must select which technologies to support, based on their long-term and short-term viability and benefits. The protagonist is involved in the release of the B2B integration component of major enterprise software whose purpose is to... View Details
- July 2004 (Revised September 2004)
- Case
Novell: CEO-led Turnaround and Growth Strategy
By: Richard L. Nolan and Robert D. Austin
Novell CEO Jack Messman tried to return the company to its leadership position in the software industry through a strategy that embraces Linux and other open source software. This case serves as an introduction to open source software and strategies based on open... View Details