Sourcegraph, a company specializing in universal code research, surveyed more than 500 North American software developers to identify problems with code complexity and management. Its general conclusions are probably and indicate that developers are handling 100 times the volume of code now than in 2010 in more languages, for more platforms than ever. A complexity that has a personal impact on them.

According to Sourcegraph, Big Code is everything to do with how code develops by:

• Volume: exponential increases in the amount of code.
• Variety: Much more complexity in the languages, tools and processes used to deliver software.
• Speed: Accelerated delivery cycles, which means code changes faster and is delivered virtually every day.
• Value: Reimagining business models and practices with high quality software.

For this survey, Big Code refers to the dramatic growth in the volume and complexity of code. This includes increasing the variety of development environments, platforms and tools; the timeliness of delivery schedules; and expected business value. Big Code has an impact on development teams like Big Data has had an impact on data teams.

Sourcegraph states that “This report is based on a 2020 survey of over 500 software development professionals in North America. This research examines the state of Big Code to quantify its complexity, understand its real impact on development and business results, and identify what needs to be changed for businesses to be successful. All survey participants had direct responsibility for software development in a company with more than 200 development employees ”.

In today’s large and complex code bases, it is invariably problematic for developers to discover, understand, and correct code due to the significant increase in code volume and complexity. The Big Code is one of the most pressing issues facing software companies today. Because software is an important part of every industry, Big Code impacts almost every organization with significant development efforts (94%, according to the survey).

This level of response is almost the same across all organizations and industries, regardless of their size or specific number of developers. Interestingly, industries outside of software report being affected a bit more, with 95% reporting being affected by Big Code versus 92% of software companies. This data supports the current reality that Big Code is not just a software industry problem.