Software is eating the business world and open source software is eating the software world, said Johann Evans, chief technical officer at Cherry Olive, the unified data management specialists.
“We can see open source software maturing and coming of age – and its impact on the software world, and business in general, is accelerating.”
Evans referred to the results of the seventh annual Future of Open Source Survey- managed by Black Duck Software and North Bridge Venture Partners – which found that open software has matured to such an extent that it now influences everything from innovation to collaboration among competitors to hiring practices.
Commenting on the Open Source Survey results, Michael Skok, general partner at North Bridge Venture Partners, says: “Our survey points to the fact that open source software is eating the software world.”
With more than 800 respondents from both vendor and non-vendor communities, the 2013 survey highlights the views of what is believed to be the largest sample in its history.
The survey polled respondents about open source trends and opportunities, key drivers of open source adoption, community engagement, and business problems open source will solve now and in the future.
What was striking about the results of this year’s survey, said Evans, is the change with regards to the reasons why users are choosing open source software over proprietary alternatives.
“Up until now price seemed to be a fairly serious motivating factor. Last year freedom from vendor lock-was cited as important. But there has been even more of a shift since then, with users citing quality as a major factor. Additionally, the availability of vendor support appears to be far less important than it was in the past.
“Interestingly, what is also being highlighted by respondents is that lower costs, big data, and systems integration are the top three business problems that seem to be solved by open source. The question is, do you embrace open source software or fight it? Well, I can tell you that if you don’t embrace it, your successor surely will.”