Showing papers on "IBM PC compatible published in 2019"
TL;DR: The IBM PC was the first digital computer platform that was open by as a matter of strategy, not necessity as mentioned in this paper, and it was used by IBM as a technical system and set of organization choices in light of how technology shapes organizations.
Abstract: The IBM PC was the first digital computer platform that was open by as a matter of strategy, not necessity. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the IBM PC as a technical system and set of organization choices in light of the theory of how technology shapes organizations. In Chapter 7, I argued that sponsors of large technical systems (including platform systems) must manage the modular structure of the system and property rights in a way that solves four inter-related problems:
• Provide all essential functional components;
• Solve system-wide technical bottlenecks wherever they emerge;
• Control and protect one or more strategic bottleneck; and
• Prevent others from gaining control of any system-wide strategic bottleneck.
I use this framework to understand how IBM initially succeeded with the PC platform and then lost its position as platform sponsor in the industry it had created.
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