Commercializing and Controlling Open Source Software Development

This chapter captures a boundary spanning position between Chapter 2, which was intended to outline the challenges firms are confronted with by opening their boundaries, and Chapters 4 and 5. To fulfill its designated function, the phenomenon of firm participation in the development of OSS will first be presented against the background of managing innovation beyond firm boundaries. Second, to deepen the understanding of firm participation, the role of business models and their underlying basic economic principles will be highlighted. Third, building upon a distinctive understanding of value creation and value capture, specific characteristics of OSS will be expanded to a systematization of OSS business models. However, the commercialization of existing OSSDPs is likely to disrupt natural governance structures of OSS communities (O’Mahony & Ferraro 2007).