Considering the french case of Free Software Service Companies (FSSCs), this paper analyses Free software’s market-oriented aspects. We try to answer a fundamental question for free software: is the software industry have room for an alternative economic model based on the communities’ ethic? Analysing FSSCs’ competition with traditionnal IT Service Companies (ITSCs) and regarding the integration of free software in the ITSCs’ product offer, we show how the software sector’s strutures could explain both FSSCs and ITSCs recent changes.
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Paper provided by Groupement de Recherches Economiques et Sociales in its series Cahiers du GRES with number
2006-21.
Find related papers by JEL classification: L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software O14 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
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