Chinese developers place confidence in open source
Published: 25 Jul 2002 07:53 BST
One of the world's first surveys of Chinese application developers has provided data supporting indications that the country's infant software industry is turning to open source solutions.
Following news from Beijing that China wants to develop a Windows clone operating system, Evans Data Corporation's first survey of the People's Republic of China indicates that its infant software industry is highly enthusiastic about open source.
Nearly 70 percent of Chinese developers say that they either definitely, or are very likely to write applications for Linux next year, the survey found. In contrast, only 40 percent of developers who participated in the North American version of the annual survey gave the same indication.
A spokesperson for Evans Data Corporation said Chinese developers' intention to develop open source applications is generally "very, very high", but at this stage is still just an intention.
Windows hosts are currently the prime platforms targeted by Chinese developers. According to this year's survey, across all industry segments in China, Windows 98 just edged ahead of Windows 2000. However, recent news that the Chinese Government and commercial interests want to build a non-proprietary desktop substitute for Windows 98 may give the survey results significance.
Esther Schindler, an analyst with Evans Data Corporation, said that Windows 98 might be starting to look a little long on the tooth in China and she believes China is open to every suggestion right now.
Schindler said that the open source philosophy might be more consistent with the China socialist culture, however she is cautious in her interpretations of the survey.
Like the Chinese software development industry, she said many of the survey respondents were young and relatively new to their field in comparison with their North Amercian counterparts.
"I raise my eyebrows in curiosity and wonder at the delightful interest that Chinese developers have in every technology and every thing that we've asked of them," said Schindler. She wondered, she said, whether some of the responses to the survey were influenced by a naivety not seen in US developers.
On average, Evans Data estimates the Chinese respondents have 12 years less experience than their peers in the United States.
The study contained other significant findings in terms of China's attitude to open source. China's confidence in using Linux for mission-critical applications is 19 percent higher than it is in the US. In China, 77 percent of developers believe Linux is ready for mission-critical applications, compared with 58 percent of US developers.
Other segments of the Evans Data study suggest that the Chinese development community may be more platform-neutral than other countries. While Chinese developers primarily target Windows-based host systems, Evans Data identified that one in four developers are currently writing applications for Linux.
Evans Data interprets this incidence as high, and said it may indicate a more receptive attitude to multiple platforms
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