business motivation in copying an existing & succesfull software product (i.e. clones)

Question

As a programmer, I am always interested in the business of software.

99% of the costs of software (whether web-based or "shelf-based") are in development (and not in production), so what would be the business motivation behind replicating an existing successful software.

I don't mean migrating (for example if company X clones an incompatible software so that it can run in its platform).

And what are the most successful "clones" out there? Which have posed serious threat (or unseated) the ruling king.

Answer 1

Google was kind of a clone from Altavista, and we all know how that ended :-)

Answer 2

Think anything Microsoft, they have obviously been very successful at this practice. Don't get me wrong, I use all their products, I'm just saying.

Answer 3

vim is a successful clone of vi. linux began as a clone of minix ("free version of a minix-lookalike" to me implies "clone").

Answer 4

99% of the costs of software (whether web-based or "shelf-based") are in development (and not in production),

To understand why this is wrong, read about software TCO here, most of the cost is in the operation, keeping it alive. Remember that we only build it once, but we keep it running forever...

But to answer your question: The business motivation is not in saving money, it's in making more of it.

1. With deep pockets (marketing budget) you can reach and sell to many. Marketing budgets dwarf the costs of developing the actual software sold!
2. Not everything is a clone: good ideas rarely are unique. Many people solve the same problems in the same way, at roughly the same time.
3. Good ideas are copied to other platforms
4. The 'not invented here syndrome'

Answer 5

Its pretty difficult to name any cloned application that was successfull. Even after thinking 10 min now i can't find one. All of the "clones" were doing most of the things very differently. They have stolen the "problem domain" but not the solution.

Sure you now see more and more simple apps getting copied menu item by menu item by cheap chinese/indian contract workers. Some even steal the executable and just wrap it with new resources. But i can tell you - as a longtime ASP (Association of Shareware Professionals) that this doesn't work well.

Look what other people do - think about it and do it better.