Open Source Software in an Internet-Driven World
Advanced software packages are not cheap. They often require the purchase of a personal license, which can cost hundreds of dollars per year unless subsidized by an employer, university, etc. However, there is an increasing movement to make such packages more accessible to the public: companies have been making their work open source, which means that anyone can use the code for their own purposes (while giving credit where credit is due, of course).
A notable example of open-source software is Google’s Android operating system, which Google freely distributes to interested phone manufacturers. This is a big part of why Android phones tend to be cheaper than iPhones- there are many more manufacturers of Android phones, who then have to compete for market share (~81% of the total smartphone market). This relates back to the concepts of game theory and competition; that is, the lure of profits encourages manufacturers to lower prices in order to attract consumers. Each manufacturer must set its prices based on what its competition is doing. Apple is unique in this manner: it differentiates its products not by having low prices, but by retaining its monopoly on iOS and marketing the iPhone as an elite but easy to use product. Apple bypasses the game theory part, and instead welcomes in a subset of consumers who have sole preferences toward its product line, and who would never defect to Android. On a preferred seller graph, this would look like a constricted set, with the difference being that Apple (which is in a very powerful position) can sell to multiple consumers.
Game theory isn’t the only way open source software relates to this class. Many open source programs are made free of charge to everyday consumers over the internet, making this an exercise in networks. As an example, I will consider the item mentioned at this link: the product is called MachUp, and is a free program created by a professor at Utah State University to make aeronautical design more accessible. The program runs in a web browser and allows users to create their own designs for an RPA/UAV/UAS, conventional aircraft, or any other design that interests them, and provides a simple way to calculate aerodynamic information such as lift, drag, and moments (for roll, pitch, and yaw). The program was created only recently, but as the article says, “Several U.S. companies and aerospace engineering schools have already started using MachUp, including Embry Riddle, Virginia Tech, and MIT.”
One of the reasons why this program has caught on so quickly is that it utilizes several networks to spread the word and popularize the idea. The connections between different universities certainly help, but most important in this situation is the Internet. By making the software free and basing it in the cloud, USU created the perfect environment for convenience. Via the Internet, people have the opportunity to collaborate on projects and share what they have done with MachUp. Since web connections consist of a large strongly connected component, in which links can make their way across the component in very little time, software like MachUp can spread quite rapidly. Especially with search engines like Google, it has become very easy to seek out new developments that may have only been written about in smaller websites. In turn, this leads to a larger news exposure, and the popularity of a program can grow exponentially. With the one property of being simple to use via the web, MachUp makes use of the extensive networks present online, and ultimately owes its success to this format.