The average
Indian developer's aspirations are on the rise; he/she connects to the
Internet while traveling but is still far from being the gadget person. More
than anything else it is the belief in the existence of God that evokes the most
unanimous response from this diverse group of participants. The Dataquest
Lifestyle Survey conducted at the Intel Developer Forum in Bangalore throws
light on these, and some other interesting facets of the life of an average
software developer in the country.
Which international personality do you admire the most?
Bill Gates' popularity among the Indian developers continues unhindered.
He is the most admired of the international personalities with more than half
the developers who responded. This should not come as much of a surprise
considering how good Gates is with things! With only 18.42% of the respondents
voting for him, Linus Torvalds has a lot of catching up to do and a trick or two
to learn from his arch-rival, as far as building a strong image is concerned.
Being the second most admired person —leaving behind the likes of Steve Jobs,
Larry Ellison and Scott McNealy-may hold some consolation though. Scott
McNealy has gained some sheen, when compared to the results of the 2003 survey,
but the verdict is loud and clear-he needs a major image overhaul. And so does
Larry Ellison and, to some extent, Steve Jobs.
Which international personality do you hate the most?
Bill Gates is known to evoke extreme reactions. While that makes him the
most admired international personality to the Indian developer community, it
also makes him the most hated. Interestingly, the hatred quotient for Bill Gates
seems to be on the rise. As compared to around 37% of the respondents voting him
as the most hated personality, in a similar survey conducted in 2003, this year
a little less than half the respondents showed hatred towards Bill Gates. Even
though Linus Torvalds is the only other contestant with a rise in hatred
quotient, he is still a long way away from Bill Gates. Like Torvalds the trio of
Scott McNealy, Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison failed to evince strong reactions
from the respondents.
Which Indian personalities do you admire the most?
The Indian developers do seem to be clearly impressed and inspired by the
man who put India's software prowess on the global map. Narayana Murthy is the
favorite for the most admired Indian personality with more than half of the
developers being surveyed. While this should hold no surprises, one question
that does is: What makes Ratan Tata the second most admired personality, more
popular than Azim Premji? What's more, the gap between the two has widened
vis-Ã -vis the 2003 survey, with the Wipro chief losing some sheen since then.
Premji, for sure, needs some serious re-working on his image among the
developers, and get the image overhaul machinery working overtime. Mukesh Ambani
and Sunil Bharti Mittal not doing well should also not come as a surprise
considering that Indian developers seem to prefer icons who are closer home to
software.
What are the devices that you own/use?
Mobile phones are now a given, and laptops are fast moving towards that
status. Well, that should not raise any eyebrows. Now, sample this.
Surprisingly, a good 39% of the respondents own/use an MP3 player, quite close
to the laptop owners/users at 45.4% of the respondents. The aspirational value
of the average Indian developer seems to be on the rise. However, the average
developer's profile does not yet reflect a lifestyle or workstyle that
warrants mainstream adoption of mobile gadgets like PDAs and PDA cum mobile
phones.
Do you connect to the Internet when on the move?
The result may be predictable-a majority of the developers do not connect
to the Internet when on the move. But, the percentage that does connect is not
that insignificant anymore, at around 39%. The need to connect while on the move
may not be paramount for these developers but the urge is clearly emerging.
If yes, how do you connect?
Inspite of a less than satisfactory status on the availability of hotspots and
the growing security concerns, the Indian developer seems to be confident of
using a public Wi-Fi hotspot. A good 50% of the respondents use public hotspots
to connect, ahead of mobile phones and data cards as a means of connecting while
on the move. Overall, the respondents surveyed are open to using multiple means
of connection, depending on availability as well as their requirements.
Why do you surf the Internet?
E-mail is the most killer application for these developers. A whopping 85%
of the respondents surf the Internet for mails. Internet is also emerging as a
favored ground for job-hunting emerging as the next most popular application on
the Internet for the respondents. Looking for a suitable job may not be a very
prominent online activity vis-Ã -vis e-mailing for the average Indian developer,
but the enthusiasm should be an indication to online job portals to sharpen
their focus on the developer community. Interestingly, despite online
pornography being quite rampant only one developer, among our respondents,
claims of surfing Internet for watching porn.
Have you shopped for anything online this year?
More than half the respondents have not shopped online this year. One of the
possible reasons for this could be an inhibition that arises out of security
concerns. The results this year are no different from a similar kind of survey
that was conducted in 2003. Almost 59% of the respondents in the 2003 survey too
had not shopped online during the year.
Books are a popular choice when it comes to buying online. Is it because it
seems to be a safer bet, as they are not a very high value item? However, this
assumption/argument does not hold because of the fact that an almost equal
percentage of respondents have bought electronics/gadgets online this year. This
is a whopping jump from the mere 29% of the respondents in the 2003 survey that
bought electronics/gadgets online. Indicating an increasing confidence level in
buying more expensive stuff online. However, a big surprise is the drop in the
popularity of online shopping for music/videos. Saving on the hassle of standing
in line for a movie ticket seems to have caught the fancy of busy developers
with online movie tickets also making their way into the developers' pockets.
How much have you spent in 2005 on gadgets or personal consumer
electronics?
They are moderate spenders on gadgets and consumer electronic items, despite
the fact that they are right in the middle of the technology action. A bulk of
the respondents, ie, more than three-fourths, has spent less than Rs 25,000 till
September 2005 on gadgets/consumer electronics. This does come across as a
surprise considering that they are part of a reasonably high paying industry. Or
is it because gadgets/personal consumer electronic items figure lower, in
comparison, in their spending priorities?
If you got Rs 5,000 in gift vouchers on your birthday, what would you buy?
They might not spend very lavishly on electronics/gadgets. However, when it
comes to using gift vouchers, gadgets/electronics are the second most popular
choice after books, that too by a very close margin. Treading on similar lines,
electronics and gadgets figure higher over music and videos in this category as
well. This is a surprise considering that the 2003 survey had 45% of the
respondents rooting for music and videos as compared to a mere 18% this year.
Even the reading bug is less intensified with around 43% going for books this
year as compared to a good 64% last year.
Do you believe in God?
They are hands-on with the latest technology. Their working is based on
logically explained theories. That does not necessarily make them atheists. So
our survey points out. A vast majority of the developers being surveyed believe
in God. A progressive and modern outlook to things does not co-relate with
belief in God. It is corroborated through these findings that may be taken as a
pointer towards the beliefs and values of the developer community in general.
Shipar Arora