IBM and Eclipse (A)

IBM faces a collective action problem: it opens its $ 40 million application platform provider and must do to convince other companies. Examines the events that led to IBM’s decision to the Eclipse platform as an open source project. In 1998 initiated Nackman Lee, director of architecture for the application and integration of the middleware IBM Software Group, the development of a software platform that would provide IBM products better interoperability and cooperation … Read more »

IBM faces a collective action problem: it opens its $ 40 million application platform provider and must do to convince other companies. Examines the events that led to IBM’s decision to the Eclipse platform as an open source project. In 1998 initiated Nackman Lee, director of architecture for the application and integration of the middleware IBM Software Group, the development of a software platform that would provide IBM products and feel better interoperability and a consistent appearance. In the following years Lee is the challenge that adopted the platform within IBM and the need to carefully manage their development. The Eclipse platform is working and gaining momentum, but IBM wants an ecosystem of applications complement of independent software vendors (ISVs) to create developed. In 2001, IBM is the Eclipse consortium and makes the Eclipse platform available as open source software. Despite the popularity of the Eclipse platform, ISVs still hesitate, add applications to provide and actively contribute to the platform again. Market analysts are not sure if this project is really open source. Lee and his colleagues are trying to decide whether the open source strategy was the right choice. In addition, as IBM alleviate the concerns of ISVs and encourage their participation?
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from
Siobhan O’Mahony,
Fernando Cela Diaz,
Evan Mamas
Source: Harvard Business School
19 pages.
Publication Date: Dec 16, 2005. Prod #: 906007-PDF-ENG
IBM and Eclipse (A) HBR case solution