Is Open Source the new cell phone?

Or Internet? Or Operating System?

Flash forward to 25 years from now – will we look back in
disbelief at a time when people didn't completely trust Open Source? When
all of the dominant technologies in our lives are built on Open Source
models (if they aren't already) what will the history books say about the
slow adoption rates of Open Source at the turn of the century? The answer
won't be available for some time, but what we can do is examine the
question.

Results from a survey conducted by VA Software Corporation (NASDAQ: LNUX)
has revealed that executive resistance to Open Source may be hindering
greater adoption of Open Source development methods for internal software
development. As a result, many enterprises are failing to capitalize on the
benefits of Open Source development processes and techniques.

While the majority (87%) of respondents said they used at least some Open
Source tools (such as CVS), technologies (such as Apache or Linux) or
development techniques (such as network-enabled collaborative development)
within their organization, 43% of them believe that resistance from senior
management is the greatest barrier to adopting more Open Source development
processes in the enterprise. Furthermore, nearly four out of ten (38%) said
their executive team either does not understand or does not trust Open
Source.

A lot has been written about where Open Source is and what it can do -
another question to consider: where could (or should) it be?

A highlight of the statistics is featured in the press release below.

More//... 

Executives Should Open Minds to Open Source Development Techniques

VA Software survey shows enterprises need education to reap efficiency
benefits of Open Source development practices

FREMONT, California — November 15, 2004 — A survey by
VA Software Corporation (NASDAQ: LNUX) has revealed that while Open Source
tools, technologies and techniques are used in a majority of enterprises,
executive resistance to Open Source may be hindering greater adoption of
Open Source development methods for internal software development. As a
result, many enterprises are failing to capitalize on the benefits of Open
Source development processes and techniques.

VA Software, a leading provider of software, information and community
support for IT managers and development professionals, recently polled 176
engineers, managers, directors and executives.1 The majority (87%) said
they used at least some Open Source tools (such as CVS), technologies (such
as Apache or Linux) or development techniques (such as network-enabled
collaborative development) within their organization.

When asked what specific Open Source techniques they use for internal
development, 54% cited collaborative development, 37% said they conducted
continuous integration and testing, while just 36% said they reuse existing
assets in a manner similar to Open Source development projects.

More than half of the respondents (57%) believed that the main benefit of
adopting more Open Source development processes and techniques is improved
software quality, while 45% cited increased productivity and efficiency,
and 35% said lowered costs. However, despite these benefits, 43% of
respondents believe that resistance from senior management is the greatest
barrier to adopting more Open Source development processes in the
enterprise. Furthermore, nearly four out of ten (38%) said their executive
team either does not understand or does not trust Open Source.

"IT and development professionals widely acknowledge the effectiveness of
more agile, collaborative development methods as practiced in the Open
Source community," said Colin Bodell, senior vice president and CTO, at VA
Software "Meanwhile, the demonstrable success and quality of Open Source
applications like Linux, Apache and JBoss have proven that Open Source
development techniques allow widely distributed groups to efficiently
produce enterprise-class solutions." Bodell added, "This survey suggests
that many of today's software development challenges could be solved by
applying more Open Source techniques in the enterprise. However,
misperceptions and mistrust of Open Source at the executive level is
preventing many enterprises from more fully embracing these techniques and
their associated benefits. Clearly ienterprises need more education if they
are to overcome today's most pressing development challenges."

The survey also asked respondents about their primary development
challenges When asked why development projects go over budget (as they do
more than half of the time for 46% of firms), the majority (53%) cited
changing requirements or goals as the leading cause, followed by setting
unrealistic targets (27%). Additionally, 56% said they work longer hours
and 63% said they feel more stressed than a year ago. While many attribute
these challenges to competitive pressures and cost constraints, the third
most common cause (20% of respondents) was the increasingly distributed
nature of their development organizations. In this survey, 74% reported
that their development organization spanned more than one physical location
and 17% had development spread across more than 20 physical
locations. Distributed development is known to present numerous challenges
in terms of team communication, collaboration and coordination. 

VA Software has published a free white paper to help businesses adapt and
leverage best practices of the Open Source development model for internal
software development. Entitled, "`Leveraging Open Source Processes and
Techniques in the Enterprise," the paper is available from the company's
website at  www.vasoftware.com.