The Market-Driven Software Ecosystem

The success of a software product depends not only on the quality of the functions it provides but also on the success of its interdependent hardware, software, and other players within its ecosystem. The software ecosystem studied thus far has largely ignored the importance of the market, which is the ecosystem's energy source. The market affects all players in the ecosystem, determining whether the software product can succeed. The author analyzes this market-driven software ecosystem in both the open source and mobile computing communities.