eBay is thinking about opening its source code under some sort of open licence to allow faster development. eBay currently has a proprietary/closed code software developer’s kit(SDK) that they provide to programmers that want to create applications that interact with eBay’s interface and enhances its current use. Currently, 42% of eBay’s website has been produced by external developers, but this is done at a slower pace, and they cannot produce SDKs for different languages, or make them available to all would-be programmers.
This opening of source code also would make it easier for eBay to change their interface entirely, as it would allow developers to adapt their applications at a faster rate. If eBay goes open source, this will mean that most of the most innovative companies on the internet will be using this model (Amazon, Google and eBay). It seems like the success of open source as a viable business model is unstoppable.
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