Evaluating architectural openness in mobile software platforms

Software platform developers do not have insight into the consequences of architectural decisions made in regards to openness, while openness determines whether and how third-party developers adopt the software platform. For mobile communication devices, however, the adoption by third-party developers is essential for the growth of an ecosystem, which has proven to be a successful strategy for mobile communication device ecosystems. In this research the openness and architectures of five mobile platforms are compared, to provide further insight into successful openness strategies for software ecosystem growth.