Mezick's Theorem

Related Analysis, Commentary, Links…on the Theorem, latest first:

OpenOffice OSS developers recognize the truth of Mezick's Theorem:
...did somebody say mature? Oh yes, in addition to Guth, that somebody was Daniel Mezick, who believes that open source dominance is the last stage in the life cycle of mature horizontal software offerings such as Windows and Office, a pretty bold claim. He stands behind his claim, though, and calls it "Mezick's theorem." The interesting thing here is that Mezick's Theorem ...

Here the Theorem is in good company, alongside the writing of no less than Lawrence Lessig and Clay Christensen:

http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=discuss&msgNo=34952

Addendum to Mezick’s Theorem
  • Follow-On FAQ With Common Questions About the Theorem Is the Theorem Valid?
  • Read this Q&A and Decide for Yourself

Open Source: Capitalism in Drag
Adam Smith’s ‘Invisible Hand’ is Alive and Well in the Perplexing World of Open-Source

Mentions and Citations from Around the Web
Jim Smilanich supplies some excellent commentary on my theorem.

See also Linux Today: http://linuxtoday.com/developer/2004010800226OPSWLL

ORACLE and PeopleSoft: Validating Mezick’s Theorem?
Yes. See the ORACLE/PeopleSoft Story here. Validating? Yes. See how the Theorem predicted a much higher relative value for large verticals like PeopleSoft..

People Are Talking
“The notion of how Open Source can move in and commoditise a proprietary technology has been on the radar since at least the original MS "Halloween" memo. But the article is a well-focused and nice discussion, and gives a useful bullet point-summary of some pretty important likely consequences and responses.”

Follow-On FAQ With Common Questions About the Theorem
Around the world, many people have reacted and continue to react, even over-react, to my theorem of open source (OSS). There are the OSS zealots who are rabidly anti-Microsoft. They point to successful OSS verticals as theorem-invalidating, which is false. Then, there are the anti-OSS zealots that are rabidly against anything ‘open’. They spin OSS as pure socialism.

It’s just not that simple.

“Mezick’s Theorem was formulated in 1Q2001 and published in June 2001. The essay ‘Enter Late and Dominate’ provided the premises for the theorem and the theorem itself, but did not explain in detail why it actually worked.”

Mezick's Theorem states that open source dominance is the last phase in the lifecycle of all mature horizontal software markets.