Survey Findings Reveal Big Code Presents Challenges For Development Teams Across All Industries

October 1, 2020

Survey Shows 94% of Software Development Professionals Affected By Big Code

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Sourcegraph, the leader in Universal Code Search, today released new data identifying the emergence of Big Code, and highlighting the unique problems it poses for development teams across all industries. Similar to how Big Data has disrupted data teams, Big Code is creating new hurdles for development teams as code rapidly grows in four major ways.

  • Volume. There have been exponential increases in the amount of code being created.
  • Variety. The complexity of the languages, tools, and processes used for delivering software continue to multiply.
  • Velocity. Accelerated delivery cycles mean code is changing faster than ever, and being shipped virtually every day.
  • Value. The reimagination of business models and practices through high-quality software has greatly increased the value of code within the enterprise.

The survey, conducted by Dimensional Research, polled over 500 software development professionals across North America. The data gathered serves to quantify Big Code’s complexity, understand its real impact on development and business outcomes, and identify what needs to be done so enterprises can succeed.

“Today’s massive codebases make it difficult for developers to discover, understand, and fix code because of the significant increase in its volume and complexity,” said Quinn Slack, co-founder and CEO of Sourcegraph. “It’s for this reason that Big Code is often compared to Big Data—both have the potential to disrupt teams, decrease productivity and quality, and make it harder for enterprises to stay competitive. Code shows no signs of slowing down, so it’s critical that developers have tools that empower them to navigate the challenges associated with Big Code.”

Key survey findings include

The volume, variety, velocity, and value of code are increasing

  • 94% of respondents report they are affected by Big Code
  • 51% have more than 100 times the volume of code they had ten years ago
  • More than 60% report a significant increase in a number of different development dimensions including architecture, supported devices, use of open source, and number of platforms
  • 92% say the pressure to release software faster has increased in the past ten years
  • 90% report that the software their teams deliver has become more critical

Big Code is creating big problems

  • Challenges include less time for new hires to be productive (62%), code breaking due to a lack of understanding of dependencies (57%), and difficulties managing changes to code (50%)
  • 99% report that Big Code has a direct impact on the business outcomes of software development efforts
  • 74% report that their teams avoid updating code due to fear of code changes breaking dependencies

Development teams need new tools to tackle Big Code

  • 85% agree that existing tools were not designed for the era of Big Code
  • 99% would benefit from additional capabilities for searching enterprise code

Download the full report here: The Emergence of Big Code - A 2020 Survey of Software Professionals

Sourcegraph empowers developers to explore and better understand all code, everywhere, faster. Its Universal Code Search platform improves developer productivity with code navigation and contextual code intelligence across multiple languages and file formats, giving developers a single place to quickly locate the precise lines of code they need to do their job. Sourcegraph is currently being used by today’s leading development teams at Uber, Lyft, Yelp, Amazon, PayPal, Indeed, and many other top organizations.

About Sourcegraph

Sourcegraph Universal Code Search empowers all developers to explore, navigate, and better understand all code, everywhere, faster. Sourcegraph’s mission is to make it easier and faster for developers to work on solving problems. Sourcegraph is built for all companies, from startups needing a solid foundation for growth to enterprises with complex security, scaling, and deployment needs. The all-remote company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and backed by Craft Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, and Goldcrest Capital – visit sourcegraph.com/jobs for career opportunities. Follow Sourcegraph on Twitter at @sourcegraph or visit about.sourcegraph.com.

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