uteck
09-11-2006, 05:38 PM
I just read this interview of the authors of this paper (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4834.html) which looks at an economic model of Linux and MS competition. It's an interesting read and they come up with intriguing results. Here is my favorate.
We found that in countries where piracy is highest, Linux has the lowest penetration rate. The model shows that Microsoft can use piracy as an effective tool to price discriminate, and that piracy may even result in higher profits to Microsoft!
--edit--
I just saw these links on the bottom of the page.
The Simple Economics of Open Source (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/1503.html)
The Organizational Model for Open Source (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3582.html)
The Secret of How Microsoft Stays on Top (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3196.html)
We found that in countries where piracy is highest, Linux has the lowest penetration rate. The model shows that Microsoft can use piracy as an effective tool to price discriminate, and that piracy may even result in higher profits to Microsoft!
--edit--
I just saw these links on the bottom of the page.
The Simple Economics of Open Source (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/1503.html)
The Organizational Model for Open Source (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3582.html)
The Secret of How Microsoft Stays on Top (http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3196.html)