Software ecosystems

Question 1

Give Manikas & Hansen’s definition of a software ecosystem.

Answer 1

“The interaction of a set of actors on top of a common technological platform that results in a number of software solutions or services,” with symbiotic relations and clear incentives. :contentReference[oaicite:27]{index=27}

Question 2

Which three “structures” must be analysed in an ecosystem?

Answer 2

Organisational structure (actors & roles), Business structure (value flows & incentives), and Software structure (platform & technical assets). :contentReference[oaicite:28]{index=28}

Question 3

Why should architects look beyond a single system to the ecosystem?

Answer 3

External forces—partner APIs, regulations, market shifts—shape long-term qualities such as scalability, modifiability, and even economic viability. :contentReference[oaicite:29]{index=29}

Question 4

Name the three health facets borrowed from ecology.

Answer 4

Productivity, Robustness, and Niche Creation. :contentReference[oaicite:30]{index=30}

Question 5

Define a “keystone” actor.

Answer 5

An actor that provides vital shared assets (runtime, governance) and invests in the health of the whole ecosystem. :contentReference[oaicite:31]{index=31}

Question 6

How does a “dominator” differ from a keystone?

Answer 6

A dominator extracts value without proportional reinvestment, gradually harming productivity and robustness. :contentReference[oaicite:32]{index=32}

Question 7

Give one example of a keystone ecosystem in industry.

Answer 7

Apple iOS + App Store—proprietary core, strict governance, revenue share that attracts thousands of app developers. :contentReference[oaicite:33]{index=33}

Question 8

Describe the main weakness found in Danish tele-medicine before Net4Care.

Answer 8

Many regional actors but low connectivity—on average each actor interacted with only 1.52 applications, leading to siloed data and poor interoperability. :contentReference[oaicite:34]{index=34}

Question 9

What technical intervention did Net4Care propose?

Answer 9

A shared platform built on open healthcare standards (HL7, XDS) plus staged testing guidelines to raise robustness and productivity. :contentReference[oaicite:35]{index=35}

Question 10

List the five-step mapping exercise for analysing an ecosystem.

Answer 10

Identify actors; list software components; chart interactions; expose incentives; assess openness & decision processes. :contentReference[oaicite:36]{index=36}

Question 11

How can stable APIs improve ecosystem health?

Answer 11

They lower entry costs for new developers, boosting productivity and niche creation. :contentReference[oaicite:37]{index=37}

Question 12

Why is governance as important as code in a plug-in platform?

Answer 12

Certification, versioning, and contribution processes prevent poor-quality or malicious plug-ins from harming robustness. :contentReference[oaicite:38]{index=38}

Question 13

What metric could reveal a dominator’s rise?

Answer 13

Dependency centrality—if one actor’s component becomes unavoidable for many others, the ecosystem may be over-reliant. :contentReference[oaicite:39]{index=39}

Question 14

Explain “multi-homing” in business-structure terms.

Answer 14

Partners can port their solution to rival platforms, reducing lock-in and increasing the need for strong incentives. :contentReference[oaicite:40]{index=40}

Question 15

Why are open standards often recommended for public-sector ecosystems?

Answer 15

They mitigate vendor lock-in and encourage broader participation, improving robustness. :contentReference[oaicite:41]{index=41}

Question 16

State Christensen et al.’s architectural definition for ecosystems.

Answer 16

“The set of structures needed to reason about the ecosystem, comprising actor & software elements, their relations, and their properties.” :contentReference[oaicite:42]{index=42}

Question 17

Give one architectural lever to foster niche creation.

Answer 17

Publish reference implementations and comprehensive documentation so specialised developers can extend the platform easily. :contentReference[oaicite:43]{index=43}

Question 18

How can dashboards help maintain ecosystem health?

Answer 18

By tracking contribution rates, centrality, and failure propagation, enabling early detection of unhealthy patterns. :contentReference[oaicite:44]{index=44}

Question 19

What organisational risk does Conway’s Law introduce for ecosystems?

Answer 19

Code modules and API boundaries may mirror organisational silos, limiting cross-actor collaboration. :contentReference[oaicite:45]{index=45}

Question 20

Which structure would you examine to evaluate revenue sustainability?

Answer 20

The Business structure—value streams, revenue sharing, and incentive alignment among actors. :contentReference[oaicite:46]{index=46}

Question 21

Why might a highly productive but low-robustness ecosystem be dangerous?

Answer 21

It can grow quickly but collapse under technical or market shocks due to weak redundancy or over-centralisation. :contentReference[oaicite:47]{index=47}

Question 22

What role does license choice play in ecosystem design?

Answer 22

Permissive or reciprocal licenses influence contributor motivation and compatibility with commercial products. :contentReference[oaicite:48]{index=48}

Question 23

Give a concise exam definition of a software ecosystem.

Answer 23

A network of actors interacting over a shared technological platform, whose combined relationships yield multiple software solutions. :contentReference[oaicite:49]{index=49}

Question 24

Which two software-structure diagrams are most helpful for ecosystem analysis?

Answer 24

Platform architecture diagram (core & extension points) and dependency heat-map (showing inter-component centrality). :contentReference[oaicite:50]{index=50}

Question 25

What risk arises when an ecosystem lacks clear entry onboarding?

Answer 25

New developers face high barriers, reducing productivity and stifling niche creation. :contentReference[oaicite:51]{index=51}

Question 26

Provide one metric for “productivity” in an ecosystem.

Answer 26

Average time from developer signup to first successful extension released, or number of active plug-ins per quarter. :contentReference[oaicite:52]{index=52}