Slashdot Mirror
Who Are OpenSource developers?
aCC writes "Read on Heise (german) about an online questionary (english) that is being done by a group of the Technical University of Berlin to find out more about the nature of OpenSource developers. Quite interesting (it has realtime stats). It needs some more international entries though... so, go slashdotters go!"
We're the people who wake up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, because we had a dream about .NET.
We recently conducted a similiar poll at the University of Illinois. Some very interesting points came up. Female programmers account for only 1.7% of all programmers, yet they account for over 8.2% of all open source programmers. Open source programmers are also seen in high numbers in the social-democrat cooperative lifestyled Scandanavian countries (the venerable birthplace of opensource mind you). This poll should be very interesting to see how it compares to the one we conducted. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the homosexuality numbers play out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take part in the individual survey?
I don't want to answer all your questions. Can I take part at all?
May I refer other software developers to your site?
Who are you?
There are many other studies about that topic! Why another one?
What kind of answers to you expect?
Why is the inquiry not in my language?
I'm a bit concerned about my personal data. What do you do with these informations?
Will the results be published in any form?
Question: Can I take part in the individual survey?
Answer: Of course. However, you must be involved in any open source/free software project.
Question: I don't want to answer all your questions. Can I take part at all?
Answer: Yes. All answers are optional. Please choose the option "no entry" if you dont want to give an answer to a specific question.
Question: May I refer other software developers to your site?
Answer: Definitly yes. We highly dependend on the amount of people taking part in our survey. Every open source/free software developer is welcome.
Question: Who are you?
Answer: We are a group of computer science students at the Technical University of Berlin. This survey is part of our studies, trying to get an empirical picture about the social and economic aspects of open source / free software developers.
Question: There are many other studies about that topic! Why another one?
Answer: Our study is digging deeper into the social aspects of open source developers. Therefore, we try to extend the value of former studies to get a even better and detailed result.
Question: What kind of answers to you expect?
Answer: The main target is to get an overview about the geographic location of open source developers. This can be socialy, economicaly and politicaly highly important. Finally, we want to take a closer look at the current developer scene.
Question: Why is the inquiry not in my language?
Answer: e translated the inquiry to all the languages we speak ourself. However, if your perferred language is not available, support us by translating the survey to the language of your choice.
Question: I'm a bit concerned about my personal data. What do you do with these informations?
Answer: Please take a look at our privacy policy.
Question: Will the results be published in any form?
Answer: Yes, we will publish our results on the WIDI-Homepage.
Ever need an online dictionary?
It seems that America, UK, and Germany are the best-represented Open Source developing countries.
Of course other notables such as Guido von Rossum and Theo de Raadt come to mind, but those are exceptions...
I noticed that in their country and nationality list New Zealand is not included (along with a few other countries like England!).
so, go slashdotters go!
... :)
The story has only 10 comments the moment I write this, and already the server is responding _very_ slowly. But heck, you could expect that if somebody is shouting 'go slashdotters go!'
--
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If code was hard to write, it should be hard to read
I think that the disproportionate amount of hits coming from /. is skewing the results. Either that or goatse.cx is a very popular text editor in Germany.
Now somebody finish this post for me.........
Actually, I own 4 Hawaiian shirts...
Warning: Too many connections in db_mysql.inc on line 73
Database error: pconnect(db.berlios.de, widi, $Password) failed.
MySQL Error: ()
Session halted.
I'd ask for a mirror, but for data harvestation, that'd sorta backfire.
"// this is the most hacked, evil, bastardized thing I've ever seen. kjb"
Its nice that they have that little question in there about your fav editor. The followup question of "why" is sadly lacking some options. It should read like this:
no_entry
of course
naturly
there are no others
the others are good as well
JIHAD!!
What are these others of which you speek.
Ascii artist &
Your hardware company or the stock brokerage firm?
I'm really looking forward to seeing how the homosexuality numbers play out.
Too obvious - you need to be a bit more subtle when trolling.
That would be a cool survey. I've always been curious about why other people like computer science. I love the thrill of programming, of being faced with a challenge and trying to figure out if I can pull it off. I like building things that other people will use, and I really like open source because I see other people volunteering time and effort to make cool software. I wonder what other people's reasons are.
(.. and the site could use a little usability tweaking, too. But it's okay.)
Nickname (max. 24 characters): Billgatus of Borg : 1955
Nationality: United States
Country you actually live in: United States
Year of Birth
Gender: male (I think)
Top Level Email Domain: username@server.com
Other languages: no entry - no entry - no entry - no entry
Profession: world dominator (junior level)
Qualification: college graduate (sort of)
Are you being paid for developing free software/open-source? no, for ripping it off
Have you profited from developing free software/open-source? no, from ripping it off
Do you think there are enough free software-related opportunities (jobs, political & social support) in your country or is it better abroad? it is ok in my country Why? we need those guys to produce good software for us.
Does your boss know that you're developing Free Software/Open Source? No (He even does not know what the GPL is)
Do you like you job ? I do it only because of the money
Approx. Yearly Income: >>>>>>>>>>>>70.000 EUR
How many hours a week do you spend developing Open Source/Free Software? no entry
Number of Free Software/Open Source Projects you are involved in: -1
Which of these languages/tools are you experienced with? BASIC - Visual Basic - C (sharp)
Favorite Operating System / Distribution: Windows OS
Favorite desktop: Windows
Favorite editor: Write - No more editors should exist
Open source of free software? doesn't matter, as long as not GPL
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Many computer users have experience a phenomenon known as "crashing" when using the popular "Netscape" browser from America Online Corporation. I can count myself among these frustrated individuals. Many times I have come just short of putting my fist through the screen when this lousy program crashes. Some people just give up and switch to Windows 2000 and Internet Explorer, but I am very stubborn when it comes to these things... I happen to like my Unix operating system, and except for Netscape it has always run perfectly for me. Furthermore, I am known as an optimistic person - I have always tried to look on the bright side of life. I am also an engineer and student of physics.
One night after Netscape crashed for about the tenth time that evening, wheels began spinning in my head. For some time I had been searching for the "bright side" of Netscape's crashing. It was a difficult and troublesome search, but suddenly a lightbulb appeared over my head (not literally, of course).
Electrical energy!
It is a little known fact that when used RAM (Random Access Memory) is released by a computer's software, a short burst of electrical energy is discharged by the RAM module into the surrounding air. I had read about this fact this in an obscure scientific computing journal, and at the time I had merely stuck it in the back of my mind as useless trivia and I had forgotten about it until this moment of insight. As I considered the large amount of memory a typical running copy of Netscape consumes, I realized that when the program exited, it freed a huge amount of computer memory and could possibly generate a tiny, yet noticeable, electrical shock.
Intrigued, I removed the case from my computer, and held my electrical measuring tool near one of the two protruding RAM modules. After I few test runs with Netscape, I realized that a normal program exit generated about .7 volt, whereas a drastic crash could generate as much as 1.3 volts! After some studying of the operating system source code, I found that all the memory being used by the program is not immediately released when a program exits normally - it is held in what is known as a "cache" which often results in faster loading time if the program is started again. On the other hand, when a program aborts unexpectedly (usually a "crash") the memory is released immediately. Of course I am leaving out some details here, as my goal here is to convince the reader of the general importance of my invention, and not to bog you down with technical details. Suffice to say, a crash generates a greater electrical discharge than a normal program exit does.
By the time I had finished my measurements, the hour was late and I was growing weary. I lit my pipe and rested in my easy chair, and I pondered how I could best harness this energy, which was being wasted by the repeated crashing of my nefarious web browser. I have always felt that smoking fine tabacco in a pipe helps the mind work, and this night was no exception. Within an hour I had a plan drawn up for a device that could capture the wasted electrical energy. Satisfied with my drawings, I headed off to bed. At this time, I merely thought I would be doing my part to prevent waste... if only I knew then what I know now!
The next morning I was roused early from my slumber by the noisy chirping of a robin. Preparing a steaming cup of coffee, I headed off to my workshop. I am a collector of gadgets of all sorts, and my workshop reflects this fact. Heaped in every corner are objects whose original function has long ago been forgotten, and are useless to the average man on the street. With a sense of duty in my heart, I set forth and gathered the parts I believed useful for my device. As the sun marched on its eternal path across the sky, I soldered, cursed, and hammered my device into working condition.
Returning home later that day, I installed the energy-gathering device on my computer and plugged a small lamp into the device's socket. I launched Netscape and started to browse a favorite website of mine, which happens to make extensive use of Java and cascading style sheets. In no time at all Netscape had indeed crashed. After a few more minutes of browsing and crashing, the small lamp began to beam brightly. I smiled, immensely satisfied with my invention.
With my mission accomplished, I unplugged all the cords from my computer and proceeded to return it to the desk from whence I had removed it the previous night. Cursing the endless amounts of plugs and cords required to operate a modern computer I finished placing it back on the desk and powered it on. While waiting for the computer to boot, I puzzled over the extra power cord in my hand. As far as I could tell the computer was running fine. Despite this, I knew the extra cord was supposed to be plugged into the computer somewhere.
Annoyed, I turned on my flashlight and examined the back of the computer. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the computer was not plugged in! I shook my head as if to clear cobwebs from it and looked once again. Sure enough, the monitor was plugged in, but the computer itself was not plugged into the wall socket. In fact, it was plugged quite sturdily into the device which I myself had built to gather the energy wasted by the RAM modules! Just to be certain, I unplugged the monitor and placed it aside. The computer still ran. I nearly fainted, but determined to keep a scientific mind, I took the computer outdoors, where I was certain there would be no hidden electrical sockets to power it. Again, it ran with no power source!
As I write this, I sit in my workshop among several new computers which I have also tested with my device and have received similar results. At the present moment I am still trying to understand its workings, and have disassembled it with the utmost care, documenting and photographing each part. Yet despite all my efforts to the contrary, it seems I have truly invented an Infinite Energy Device.
Ahead of me I realize I face a life of limitless wealth and international acclaim. This invention is unsurpassed in its importance, rivaled only by the discovery of fire by the earliest cave man. Yet I still wonder... will this device spend more time serving the forces of evil than the forces of good? Already, I have noticed black helicopters hovering overhead and men in military uniforms hiding in the bushes. Why? What are they here for? Only time will tell.
Respectfully,
Alfred Windhall III
Inventor
The site is down (Warning: Too many connections in db_mysql.inc on line 73, etc.) and it's going to stay down. Mod the above post up, please, so we have something to read. Please keep it at "+3, off-topic but mildly amusing."
~
I saw the dual list structure, that was confusing too - NZ is in the 2nd part of the list - mis-sorted between "Niue" and "Oman"
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Database error: pconnect(db.berlios.de, widi, $Password) failed.
MySQL Error: ()
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you'd think they'd properly configure mysql...
;)
dumbasses
:wq
As a Canadian working in Canada, with people who are developing Open Source code, I'm surprised that there are not more Canadians that have taken the survey (I'm one of the ones who did before the site got slashdotted). I mean, it's not like we have a shortage of Open Source developers here in Canada. Some very high profile Open Source projects are actually based in Canada (for starters, OpenBSD comes to mind here). Maybe as times goes on and the number of survey entries goes up, the numbers will change to reflect this.
Every day is a new day full of possibilities.
Shouting 'go slashdotters go!' is like starting an DDoS attack.. This site is so powerful.. I really like that hehe
It worries me that attempts to pin down the nature of Open Source development will be of more use to its opponents than its supporters; before something can be attacked you have to define what it is. Does this type of survey not lay the open source community open to cherry-picking of statistics, "xx% of Open Developers have no qualification, it must be rubbish", that sort of thing.
Strangely, the typical OS developer is 21-22 years old male (98%). Well, perhaps 21-27. That means not much experience. 33% are students, so perhaps that explains it. But then, 37% are university graduates/masters, plus 4% PhDs.
78% are not paid for developing OS. This isn't nice. But 30% report having profited professionally.
3.5% do not work (I belong to that sad part). I just wonder which option all the students have reported...
The yearly income distribution is rather even in the entire range, perhaps about 30,000-40,000 EUR per year on average. I think US salaries are higher than european; it would be nice to have per-country statistics too.
They seem to be spending typically Typically they use Debian, although SuSE and RedHat are not far behind. 33% favour KDE, and 23% Gnome. Umm, 11% Windows, 7% "pure tex"? 36% are masochists who use vi (can this really be true?), while emacs has 28%.
Hmm, the site seems to be slashdotted, so I can't summarize the last page, "computer abilities".
It's a bit biased towards european, and especially german developers, I don't think the the country of origin and top level domain name can be taken seriously...
Till after everyone on slashdot has had a go.
I question where they have linked their web page from, I wouldn't be suppriesed if it was mainly *.de servers
Robert
Dear Brethren, we might be different countries,
age groups, ethnicity, income, and education levels.
But we are all males
I heard that Bill Gates is an Open Source Developer, anyone else?
--
microsoft, it's what's for dinner
bq--3b7y4vyll6xi5x2rnrj7q.com
it's a sig, wtf?
...Latin? Old Greek?
;-)
I am curious to know if there are results available anywhere from other surveys about open-source or similar developers?
OpenBSD has a very young female hacker
-- Pure FTP server - Upgrade your FTP server to something simple and secure.
{{.sig}}
There were already critizisms about that survey in the heise forum. My major points are that the survey: - is very focussed on Unix (I write OSS for BeOS) - has two editors only? - only asks whicht desktop you're using but not what you're developing for - assumes you write only for one OS - doesn't ask that much about your motivation. - doesn't ask that much about what kind of software you write - doesn't aks wether you write alone or in a team and if latter, how big the team is.
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I'm surprised more didn't put down mcedit (Midnight Commander Edit) and GNU nano (a pure GPL clone for pico, with more advanced features). I don't like either vi or Emacs. I can assure that a lot of people feel the same. Unfortuantely I do end up doing a lot of things in vi since it's more accessible than Emacs and seems to come standard with more systems. But on my own systems, the first thing I do is mv vi -> vi1 and ln -fs nano vi. Sure, mark this as flamebait, but a lot of people don't like either vi OR Emacs. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.
"A few atoms won't even light a match" - Dr Jones, 1933
Which is...
As long as people stop being open-source developers the moment they become parents, the whole open-source idea is going to have difficulty getting to be a fully mainstream idea.
This has been discussed on /. before, but open-source development tends to center around open-source developers' interests. Children are even more demanding than open-source projects, though, leaving little time for that coding. If you checked the stats from this survey, you will discover that over 75% of open-source developers don't get paid for their work. If they're OK with this, then fine - but it strongly suggests they are doing it on their own time. That time tends to get eaten up when there are children in the family.
It's too bad - I had high hopes for this survey when I noticed the title ... "Who Is Doing It?"
Apache allowed 150 connections
MySQL only 100 connections
at the same time
This has been fastly reconfigured.
Another time sorry for the inconvenience. It was my first Slashdot efect :-)
Grex
if you look at the stats on the page, there are 3 open source developers who were born in 1997 and 1 that was born in 1999. that makes them no older than 4 years old. i never knew kids these days got such an early start in coding. that's amazing. someday they will grow up to be the doogie howser of software development. many kudos go out to their parents who put them in front of a computer at such an early age.
on a side note... the editors might want to make a comment about how if people are going to visit the site, they should take it seriously as it is an educational research survey.
please me, have no regrets.
I've to answer you, that Widi (the software under which this survey runs) itself is released under the GPL... so we're also Open Source developers.
You can download it from http://developer.berlios.de/projects/widi/
The problem was just a bad configuration of MySQL as I've already told in a comment. We apologizes for it... it has been our first Slashdot efect and you know you can't ensure your software runs well untill you test it :-). Thanx for your comprehension.
as sung by 0sXor 7h3 6r0uCH:
"Who are the hackers in your neighborhood?"
"In your neighborhood..."
"In your neighborhooooooooddd"
"Who are the hackers in your neighborhood"
"They're the people coding apps all day"
Subject: RE: [DOTNET] Join us in implementing an Open Source .NET framework > I had some strong feelings running through me after seeing the movie > "Antitrust" Boy tell me about it. I had a range of strong feelings, most of which centered on my having wasted two hours of my life on that piece of crap. Every time a coder walked up to another they'd point to what was maybe 25 lines of code on the screen and say "wow, that's cool what you're doing there". Whatever. The whole good girl / bad girl reversal didn't make sense - why would the bad girl be willing to help Our Hero build it all the way to the point to sabotage the network? It was a very stupid movie - understandable that it upset you... It was the stupidest thing I have ever seen. I mean they have "Microsoft" able to spy on *every* single open source programmer (sic) and not able to detect that the main character, just by typing a few Linux commands!!, can get access to all their plans, get right into the "spying" system in 10 seconds! And then that "Microsoft" would murder open source programmers to get their code. Of course, one could just forget it and chalk it up to the piece of crap that it is, but when I saw it had been sponsored by Sun Microsystems, and featured the GNOME (Miguel) folks and Jon "Maddog" Hall, it was too much. Its like they are declaring war on us developers who don't believe in their way and then they have the gall to come here asking for help after doing a first class defamation of a company (for which they should be sued - I would ). I mean, using Building 21 constantly and so forth and using Bill's sayings. It was too obvious and stupid. I am sorry for the use of my language, not my feelings. These people don't play nice. They don't compete. They whine to the Justice department. They try to turn this software industry into a hippie socialist environment where, in shades of 1967, everything is free, man. Nothing is free. We are paying for those open source developers. Their electricity and their computers have to be paid by someone. And most of them are either in government agencies (our tax dollars) or universities (again our dollars). But it's free, man. No it isn't. It's a meaningless mantra. Not only are they using our tax dollars, but they are also sapping countries all over the world, using up their precious resources and developing "free" software on company's resources. I don't want the very exciting industry of software development, which I have participated in for 22 years, become a drab anti-competitive industry where all we do is service and customizations. And I think once people realize the implications, they won't either. Without competition, the software industry does *not* happen. Period. Many of us want to continue earning a living making great software. Visit me at http://pages.scifi.com/CyberPunk/net.html