The Strategy
It seems that NetBean's strategy is to compete directly with Eclipse and rely on superior design to carry the day.
I believe this is a losing strategy. It ignores Eclipse's strengths in market share, mind share, corporate sponsorship and user community.
An Alternate Strategy:- Concede what is already lost (the mass market)
- Focus on agility; Eclipse is now bound by legacy
- Concentrate on niche markets
- Stay flexible for the post-J2EE world
The end seems near for JBuilder and JDeveloper.
Those products represent a market segment which has money, but fears dependency on open source.Target existing JBuilder/JDeveloper users by providing migration facilities and a licensing cost which guarantees support, turning NetBeans into a profitable project.
Remember the lessons from Microsoft. The "best" product is very often a casualty of other forces; Marketing, management fears, lower cost or existing market share.
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