More than a Third of VB Users Migrating to VB.Net While 43% Predict Decreasing Use of Any Form of VB

SANTA CRUZ, CA, May 6, 2003 - A new survey from development research firm, Evans Data Corporation, has found that 52% of all software developers use Visual Basic today but that 43% of them are planning to reduce their usage of the language next year. However, a third of VB users are planning to migrate directly to VB.Net.

The North American Development Survey Volume 1, 2003, completed in April, found that 39% of the 43% of developers decreasing their VB usage intend to increase their use of C#. Java use is also increasing amongst developers reducing their Visual Basic usage with 31% indicating that they plan to increase their usage of the platform-agnostic programming language.

“Microsoft has a serious stake in migrating the Visual Basic community to a .Net language and it appears that they are making headway,” said Esther Schindler, senior analyst at Evans Data. “However, as they leave Visual Basic 6.0 behind, developers are choosing languages that help them work more easily with emerging technologies such as wireless and Web services development.”

Other findings from the April survey of more than 600 of developers include:

• Half of developers in the survey have bought into the use of peer-to-peer technology in the enterprise; 51% indicated that they “absolutely” or “probably” will use peer-to-peer technology in their network applications.
• When asked about the primary process methodology employed in the development process, the vast majority of developers responded with an in-house/proprietary methodology at 39%. Rapid Application Design (RAD) is a distant second at 16% and eXtreme Programming is even further back at 9%.
• More than a third of companies, 38%, prohibit the use of Instant Messaging. The most used means to combat its use are: firewalls, 23% and company policy, 15%.

Evans Data Corporation provides regularly updated IT industry market intelligence based on in-depth surveys of the global developer population. Evans' syndicated research includes surveys focused on developers in a wide variety of subjects.

Copyright 2007 Evans Data Corporation. All other company names, products and services mentioned in this document are the trademarks and property of their respective owners.

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