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Indeed. I am trying to think of any software company anywhere right now that doesn't build on someone else's platform. I can't think of any. Either they are

Indeed. I am trying to think of any software company anywhere right now that doesn't build on someone else's platform. I can't think of any. Either they are setting sail on someone's hardware platform or OS (or even kernel and utilities, as Linux distros do), or both. I think the key issue as you say is to keep tabs of the risks and try to manage them. But I don't think it is really possible not to depend on someone else's platform to some extent, well unless you want to write your own cross-platform C compiler and then write your own kernel with it, and then write an operating system surrounding it, and then writing your app..... or give up on the cross-platform bit and just make your own chips too..... I guess that IBM software on AIX on Power might be close to building on your own platform. I don't know if they wrote their own compilers though. But in recent decades even IBM has made noises about abandoning AIX in favor of Linux if they can meet the needs of existing AIX customers.... So maybe it doesn't even work for IBM....

jonknee 14y ago
Apple is pretty close. They have their own hardware, OS, kernel and even retail stores. They piggyback on a lot of OSS, but when your developers are all using your hardware with your IDE to make software for your closed platform, it's pretty vertically integrated.
netcan 14y ago
I think you need to think of these things in relative terms. It's probably more correct to phrase this "don't take big platform risks." IE, If you build on windows or linux you take the risk of either failing. But you do at least know that they're goal is to be a platform for developers to build on. The risk of sudden changes in the T&Cs turning your business on its head are small, compared to the risk on Facebook, iOS or Twitter for example. Of course everything is built on other things. Even if the software and even hardware is independent, you're stil dependent on the economy. You need copper for your circuits and oil for your plastics and anyone know how to make tools for making tools for making drilling tools? How am I supposed to get fuel without tools for making drilling equipment? Hold on, I'll figure this out I made a flint axe...

jonknee 14y ago

Apple is pretty close. They have their own hardware, OS, kernel and even retail stores. They piggyback on a lot of OSS, but when your developers are all using your hardware with your IDE to make software for your closed platform, it's pretty vertically integrated.

netcan 14y ago

I think you need to think of these things in relative terms. It's probably more correct to phrase this "don't take big platform risks." IE, If you build on windows or linux you take the risk of either failing. But you do at least know that they're goal is to be a platform for developers to build on. The risk of sudden changes in the T&Cs turning your business on its head are small, compared to the risk on Facebook, iOS or Twitter for example. Of course everything is built on other things. Even if the software and even hardware is independent, you're stil dependent on the economy. You need copper for your circuits and oil for your plastics and anyone know how to make tools for making tools for making drilling tools? How am I supposed to get fuel without tools for making drilling equipment? Hold on, I'll figure this out I made a flint axe...