In the spring of 2010, Evans Data Corp conducted a worldwide survey of developers with the intent of documenting user satisfaction with the features of various tools and platforms for software development. This was the fourth year the survey was conducted, and over 1,200 developers participated with a proportional spread across regions.

The goal was to highlight the characteristics of each platform and toolset and detail the strengths and weaknesses of each. The design philosophy behind integrated toolsets can differ significantly as vendors target different market segments and provide different capabilities focused on the needs of those segments. Some are aimed at large enterprise developers, while others are designed for individuals or small teams. Some are open source and grow and mature organically, while others have received the benefit of millions of dollars worth of research and development, in addition to market research and testing.

This white paper reveals the results.