Open Source Gains Momentum

According to a newly released IDC study, the open source software phenomenon has spread far beyond Linux and is gaining enormous momentum. The study, “Open Source in Global Software: Market Impact, Disruption, and Business Models” (IDC No. 202511), explores the growing role of open source among global software developers. The study examines the future impact of open source in the software life-cycle, the emerging business models for open source software markets and the potential for market disruption. The study also investigates the open source business models of Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, SUN Microsystems, CA, AOL, Amazon and Perot Systems.

The data presented in this study draws from the results of an IDC survey conducted in the spring of 2006 of over 5,000 developers in 116 countries, representing 38 developer networks. The study found that developers worldwide are increasing their use of open source. The study declares that open source software represents the most significant all-encompassing and long-term trend that the software industry has seen since the early 1980s. IDC believes that open source will eventually play a role in the life-cycle of every major software category, and will fundamentally change the value proposition of packaged software for customers.

“The use of open source beyond Linux is pervasive, used by almost three-quarters of organizations and spanning hundreds of thousands of projects,” said Dr. Anthony Picardi, senior vice president of Global Software Research at IDC. “Although open source will significantly reduce the industry opportunity over the next 10 years, the real impact of open source is to sustain innovations in mature software markets, thus extending the useful life of software assets and saving customers money.”

The study found that of the 5,000 survey respondents, open source software was being used by 71 percent of the developers in the world and was in production at 54 percent of their organizations. In addition, half of the global developers claimed that the use of open source is increasing in their organizations.

Picardi added, “As business requirements shift from acquiring new customers to sustaining existing ones, the competitive landscape will move toward costs savings and serving up sustaining innovations to savvy customers, along with providing mainstream software to new market segments that are willing to pay only a fraction of conventional software license fees. Open source software is ultimately a resource for sustaining innovators.”

Google Code Jam 2006

Google Code Jam 2006 (www.google.com/codejam2006) is a contest to encourage and reward the top talents in computer science from all over the world. The Code Jam will take place between Aug. 14, 2006 and Oct. 27, 2006. It begins with an online registration, after which all registered individuals will participate in a Qualification Round to determine who will compete in the programming tournament. The tournament consists of one online qualification round, two online elimination rounds and one onsite final round. The Top 250 scores from Round 2 will receive a Google Code Jam 2006 T-shirt. In addition, Google will award $165,000 in cash and prizes to the 100 finalists in the tournament.

Registrants who are 13 years of age or older as of Sept. 5, 2006 may compete in the Qualification and Online Rounds of the Google Code Jam 2006. Only participants who are 18 years of age or older as of Sept. 5, 2006 are eligible to compete in the Championship Round and to win cash and prizes, unless otherwise prohibited. Cash and prizes, including T-shirts, will not be provided to residents of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan or Syria and due to potential visa restrictions, some finalists may not be able to participate at the on-site finals in New York City.

Registration closes Sept. 5 at 9 a.m. EDT. The Qualification Round will be open for 24 hours from 12 noon EDT (GMT/UTC -4) on Sept. 5, 2006 through 12 noon EDT (GMT/UTC -4) Sept. 6, 2006. The Qualification Round will consist of two phases: the Coding Phase and System Testing Phase. The competition is available in five programming languages — Java, C++, C#, VB.NET and Python.