Where Are the Developers Going?
Just before the July 4 break, Evans Data Corp. released the results of a developer
survey that it says shows
growing
cracks in the dominance of Windows as a target for programmers. The survey
found that the percentage of North American programmers targeting Windows server
or client OSes has dropped, from 74 percent in 2006 to 64.8 percent in 2007.
Evans Data predicts further erosion, on the order of 2 percent, in 2008.
The winner in the survey? Linux, which has seen its share of developer attention
grow from 8.8 percent to 11.8 percent over the past year.
The results, honestly, hardly seem surprising. Interest in Web-centric applications
-- including rich Internet applications built on AJAX, Flash and soon Silverlight
-- is exploding. And Evans Data points out that developer attention has shifted
to "niche operating systems for non-traditional client devices," which
I imagine includes cell phones, smart phones, BlackBerrys, MP3 players and every
manner of hybrid device.
Perhaps most important, Microsoft continues to hold the loyalty of the developer
teams themselves. The survey shows that the use of Windows as a platform for
creating applications remains firm.
Do your development plans mirror what's being reported in this survey? And
do you think this trend could mean trouble for Microsoft? E-mail me at mdesmond@reddevnews.com.
Posted by Michael Desmond on 07/11/2007