fying the demand, efficiency, and innovation risks that traditional software organizations face and is driving a period of creative destruction that has the potential to permanently alter the competitive landscape within the software industry. OSSg2 firms offer a significant customer value proposition and have effective strategies that should aid their prospects for long-term survivability. However, during this period of creative destruction, we also recognize that the market is constantly changing, traditional firms are experimenting with adjustments to their strategies to address the stresses that OSSg2 is placing on their business models, and new models are emerging that will blur the lines between the categories we have outlined in this article. This makes the business of open source both extremely fascinating and highly consequential. c

 

REFERENCES

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2. Child, J. Information technology, organizations, and the response to strategic challenges. California Management Review 30, 1 (1987), 33– 50.

3. Fitzgerald, B. The transformation of open source software. MIS Quarterly 30, 3 (2006), 587–598.

4. Goetz, T. Open source everywhere. Wired 11, 11 (Nov. 2003).

5. Schumpeter, J. Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. Fakenham and Reading, London, 1943.

6. Watson, R. T., Wynn, D., and Boudreau, M.-C. JBoss: The evolution of professional open source software. MIS Quarterly Executive 4, 3 (2005), 329–341.

7. Wittig, C. and Inkinen, S. MySQL open source database in 2004. Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2004.

 

RICHARD T. WATSON ( rwatson@terry.uga.edu) is the J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Chair for Internet Strategy in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, Athens. MARIE-CLAUDE BOUDREAU ( mcboudre@terry.uga.edu) is an associate professor in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. PAUL T. YORK ( ptyork@uga.edu) is a Ph.D. student in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. MARTINA E. GREINER ( mgreiner@uga.edu) is a Ph.D. student in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. DONALD WYNN, JR. ( wynndona@notes.udayton.edu) is an assistant professor in the Department of Management Information Systems, Decision Sciences and Operations Management at the University of Dayton, OH.

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© 2008 ACM 0001-0782/08/0400 $5.00

DOI: 10.1145/1330311.1330321

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