Health Vulnerabilities in Software Ecosystems: Five Cases of Dying Platforms

Abstract

Software ecosystems are networks of organizations working together to collaboratively serve a market. A software ecosystem is considered healthy when it is productive, robust and is growing on increasing numbers of partnerships, or acquiring new members. One can also consider an ecosystem unhealthy, when it is not satisfying its customers. In this article, we examine five cases of unhealthy or dying ecosystems through a qualitative analysis of its community forums and its presence on social media. We extract five indicators for an ecosystem’s demise and their countermeasures for avoiding an unhealthy ecosystem. With these indicators and countermeasures, we can help practitioners avoid pitfalls that are faced by their business and overall ecosystem, and finally help them make strategic decisions.