The other tools companies (Borland, BEA, Rational) minimize their costs
by basing their tools on a *popular and successful* platform  like
Eclipse. Many car manufacturers do the same too. They share their
platform with other companies. But there's always room for alternative
platforms too. For example most hardware comapnies use the common PC
platform, while there's Apple with its distinct and innovative
platform. But not all people are wise or daring to choose the best
platform