Latest News
12.18.2003: Totals from the "where I'd invest $500k"
11.25.2003: Just a reminder - class on 12/1 will meet at 4pm (sharp!) in 540AB Cory Hall and will last until 6pm to accomodate the project presentations. on 12/3, we will meet back in the regular classroom (C210), but will also go from 4-6pm. The final project reports are due 12/5.
11.25.2003: uploaded lecture 13 and lecture 14 slides.
11.19.2003: uploaded homework 12: Summary of a large software company. Due 11/26. Please fill out the following templates: PPT presentation and Excel tearsheet and cite your sources. Here's an example "best practice" completed assignment from Brian P. (PPT, Excel).
11.10.2003: uploaded lecture 12 slides: Valuation and Start-up Strategies.
11.07.2003: uploaded homework 11 - Walnut Venture Associates(A): RBS Group case study questions (Due 11/12)
11.04.2003: uploaded lecture 11 slides: Creating Barriers with IP.
10.31.2003: uploaded homework 10 - Cadence vs. Avant! case study questions (Due 11/5)
10.28.2003: uploaded Prof Messerschmitt's Open Source lecture. As followup reading, here are some pointers to articles Prof Messerschmitt mentioned in class:
- Coverity: $4mm
- Pipeline Manager: $2.86mm
- Intellidate: $1.585mm
- MenCoTech: $1.095mm
- Honeycomb: $1mm
- xThink: $960k
11.25.2003: Just a reminder - class on 12/1 will meet at 4pm (sharp!) in 540AB Cory Hall and will last until 6pm to accomodate the project presentations. on 12/3, we will meet back in the regular classroom (C210), but will also go from 4-6pm. The final project reports are due 12/5.
11.25.2003: uploaded lecture 13 and lecture 14 slides.
11.19.2003: uploaded homework 12: Summary of a large software company. Due 11/26. Please fill out the following templates: PPT presentation and Excel tearsheet and cite your sources. Here's an example "best practice" completed assignment from Brian P. (PPT, Excel).
11.10.2003: uploaded lecture 12 slides: Valuation and Start-up Strategies.
11.07.2003: uploaded homework 11 - Walnut Venture Associates(A): RBS Group case study questions (Due 11/12)
11.04.2003: uploaded lecture 11 slides: Creating Barriers with IP.
10.31.2003: uploaded homework 10 - Cadence vs. Avant! case study questions (Due 11/5)
10.28.2003: uploaded Prof Messerschmitt's Open Source lecture. As followup reading, here are some pointers to articles Prof Messerschmitt mentioned in class:
- Web links on open-source software business models
- Eric Raymond and David Messerschmitt, Point-counterpoint on open source software, IEEE Software special issue on Open Source Software
- General business model articles
- Open Source Case for Business from the Open Source Initiative
- A Business Case Study of Open Source Software from MITRE Corporation
- Setting up Shop: The Business of Open Source Software by Frank Hecker
- The Age of Corporate Open Source Enlightenment by Paul Ferris
- Commercializing Open Source Software by Michael J. Karels
- Examples
- SAP on Linux is an example of a large commercial application ported to open source platform
- From Server Room to Living Room by Jim Barton illustrates embedding open source software in a product
- Licensing options
- Various Licenses and Comments about Them from The GNU Project
Homework
For the homework assignments please make our life easier by doing the following:
Assignments:
- Subject line on the email should be: 290T Homework #n
- Simply include answers as plain text in email, make sure your name is in the email
- Label each answer with question number
- Use bullets and phrases, no one reads English prose anymore, but be prepared to articulate and defend your answer well.
Assignments:
- Homework 1; responses
- Homework 2 - Documentum case study questions - due 9/10 8am; responses
- Homework 3 - ProfitLogic case study questions - due 9/17 8am; responses
- Homework 4 - Collabrys, Inc. case study questions - due 9/24 8am; responses
- Homework 5 - Kana Communications case study questions - due 10/1 8am; responses
- Homework 6 - to bundle or not to bundle? - due 10/8 8am; responses
- Homework 7 - Wind River Systems case study questions - due 10/15 8am; responses
- Homework 8 - Microsoft: Competing on Talent (A) case study questions - due 10/22 8am
- Homework 9 - Sun Microsystems Inc: Solaris Strategy case study questions - due 10/29 8am
- Homework 10 - Cadence vs. Avant! case study questions - due 11/5 8am
- homework 11 - Walnut Venture Associates(A): RBS Group case study questions (Due 11/12)
- Homework 12 - Summary of a large software company. Due 11/26. Please fill out the following templates: PPT presentation and Excel tearsheet
Course Schedule
Details are still being worked out, but here is draft course schedule.
| Date | Topic(s) | Readings | Comments |
| August 25 | Course Overview, Overview of Software Industry | Chapter 1, 2 | |
| August 27 | Software market segments, Software development | Identify trends & opportunities in SW industry; Chapter 5 | |
| September 1 | NO CLASS - Labor Day | ||
| September 3 | Discuss trends & opportunities in SW industry | Chapter 9 | |
| September 8 | Identifying market opportunities, value to revenue | Documentum, Inc. | |
| September 10 | Case discussion | ||
| September 15 | Business Models & business plans | ProfitLogic | |
| September 17 | Case discussion, Guest speaker: Bob Dahlberg | ||
| September 22 | Evolution of business models | Collabrys, Inc.: The Evolution of a Startup | |
| September 24 | Case discussion | Project proposals due | |
| September 29 | from business models to business plans | Kana Communications | |
| October 1 | Case discussion | ||
| October 6 | Bundling HW/SW | Network Appliance (A) | |
| October 8 | Case discussion | ||
| October 13 | Creating a Sustained SW Business | Wind River Systems; Chapter 4 | |
| October 15 | Case discussion, Guest speaker: Jerry Fiddler | ||
| October 20 | teams and process in software | Microsoft: Competing on Talent; Chapter 3 | Project checkpoint |
| October 22 | Case discussion, Guest speaker: John Fernandes | ||
| October 27 | Open source, Guest speaker: Dave Messerschmitt | Sun Microsystems, Inc: Solaris Strategy | |
| October 29 | Case discussion | ||
| November 3 | Creating Barriers with IP | Cadence vs. Avant! | |
| November 5 | Case discussion, Guest speaker: Paul Lippe | ||
| November 10 | Valuation and Start-up Strategies | Walnut Venture Associates (A) : RBS Group | |
| November 12 | Case discussion, Guest speaker: Dana Settle | ||
| November 17 | valuation, exit strategies | ||
| November 19 | Exit strategies | ||
| November 24 | wrap up | ||
| November 26 | NO CLASS - Thanksgiving | ||
| December 1 | Project presentations | in 540AB Cory Hall | |
| December 3 | Project presentations |