Developers Favor Open Source

More than half of the Windows software developers asked in a recent survey are in favor of open-source code software, according to Evans Marketing.

The survey of more than 400 Windows developers in North America found that 53 percent of the developers said they were in favor of open-source software. However, another 22 percent said they thought it was a good idea, but that it would never work.

“There is a very strong acceptance amongst developers for open-source code,” said Janel Garvin, Director of Research for Evans Marketing Services. “Many of the developers we interviewed were not only favorable but very enthusiastic. They really like the idea of being able to get down to the source and make changes, add features, or otherwise modify programs that are integral to their development efforts. It provides a lot more possibilities, and developers are eager to participate in that. But at the same time, there’s also a feeling among some developers that this approach is just too good to be true, and that it just won’t work in today’s marketplace.”

Very few developers who participated in the survey actually opposed the idea of open-source software. Less than 5 percent of the developers were opposed to the idea, while the remaining 20 percent had no opinion or were unfamiliar with the concept. The question was included in two survey series conducted by Evans Marketing during the month of November, 1998.