Operating System
Every software product you develop is built for a particular operating system, and that choice shapes how well it sells. This page covers why the platform matters, what is involved in launching an OS of your own, and how to read an OS in the Software report.
The importance of choosing the right operating system
The sales of your software products depend on the user base of the OS they run on. So it is not enough to develop high-quality software — you also have to pick the right OS platform for it.
Build your software for an OS with a small user base and its potential sales will be significantly restricted, however good the product is.
Launching your own OS
If success in the software application markets alone does not satisfy you, you might consider developing your own OS to challenge the current giant. Be warned: winning the OS battle is the toughest challenge you will face. The stakes are extremely high, and your competitor will stop at nothing to defeat you.
Developing an operating system works much like creating any other software product, which is covered step by step in the software company guide. The technologies an OS depends on can be viewed in the Software Guide.
How to develop a software product
Viewing information about operating systems
You can view the details of an operating system from the Software report.
Overall rating of an OS product
In Capitalism Lab, a product’s overall rating is normally shaped by three things: its quality, its brand and its price. An OS product has a fourth: the Apps Availability rating.
Apps Availability indicates whether enough application software is available for that OS. It is calculated from the variety of applications available for the platform and their quality ratings. You can see it on the Software report, as in the screenshot above.