New Scan Report on Open Source Software 2008 Shows 16% Reduction in Static
Analysis Defect Density Across 250 Popular Open Source Projects Over 2 Year
Period
Researchers Uncover New Information Regarding Defect Density, Code Base
Size and Other Indices of Code Complexity
SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Coverity(TM), Inc., the leader in
improving software quality and security, today announced the availability
of the Scan Report on Open Source Software 2008. The Coverity Scan site was
developed with support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as
part of the federal government's 'Open Source Hardening Project.' The
report is based on 2 years of analysis of more than 55 million lines of
code on a recurring basis from over 250 popular open source projects with
Coverity Prevent(TM), the industry-leading static source code analysis
solution.
"The continued improvement of projects that already possess strong code
quality and security underscores the commitment of open source developers
to create software of the highest integrity," said David Maxwell, open
source strategist for Coverity. "Working with the open source community
over the past two years has been an exceptional opportunity for researchers
at both the Scan site and Coverity. Based on preliminary feedback from
preview readers, the report contains thought provoking information about
defect density and code complexity and provides a strong foundation for
future research on the nature of software."
Open source projects analyzed at the Scan site include some of the
worlds most widely used applications, including the Apache web server and
the Linux operating system. Source code analysis from the Scan site is
freely available to qualified open source projects at:
http://scan.coverity.com
"Close collaboration between Coverity and the FreeBSD Project over
three years has been both exciting and remarkably valuable," said Robert
Watson, FreeBSD foundation president. "Coverity has had a positive impact
on the correctness of our source code and has helped improve our software
development methodology."
The breadth and volume of analysis data presented in the Scan Report on
Open Source Software 2008 is unlike any other collection of code analysis
data in existence, representing 14,238 individual project analysis runs for
a total of nearly 10 billion lines of code analyzed over 2 years.
The report also draws conclusions that may apply equally to open source
and commercial software regarding the relationship between variables such
as code base size, defect density, function length, Cyclomatic complexity
and Halstead effort. In summary, the Scan Report on Open Source Software
2008 contains the following findings:
-- The quality and security of open source software is improving --
Researchers at the Scan site observed a 16% reduction in static
analysis defect density over the last 2 years, which reflects the
elimination of more than 8,500 individual defects
-- Prevalence of specific defect types -- The report shows a clear
distinction between the frequencies of defect types across the scan
database. 'NULL pointer dereference' was the most common defect while
'Use before test of negative values' was the least common defect
-- Average project function length and static analysis defect density --
Data in the report contradicts conventional wisdom, indicating that
projects with large average function length are not prone to higher
defect densities
-- Cyclomatic complexity and Halstead effort -- Research indicates these
two measures of code complexity are significantly correlated to code
base size
-- False positive results -- The average rate of false positives
identified by open source developers on the Scan site is below 14%
Detailed data and analysis of these and other findings are available in
the complete Scan Report on Open Source Software 2008, which is freely
available for download in the research library at http://www.coverity.com
"The use of open-source technologies to enhance and evolve commercial
products has become a common strategy. Vendors will continue to leverage
this movement by embedding open source into products, while end-user
organizations will use stable open-source projects as a competitive
differentiator against companies that refuse to acknowledge that open
source is now enterprise-ready. By 2012, 80% or more of all commercial
software will include elements of open- source technology," according to
analyst Mark Driver in his recent Gartner report 'Open Source in Vendor
Business Strategies, 2008,' published March 31, 2008.
Results of the Scan Report on Open Source Software 2008 will also be
discussed during a complimentary webinar on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 by
David Maxwell, Coverity's open source strategist. Registration is available
at: http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=107874&s=1&k=41E3686F9B655D193F894D4A844EBBC6
About the Scan site
The Scan site was developed by Coverity with support from the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security as part of the federal government's 'Open
Source Code Hardening Project'. The site divides open source projects into
rungs based on the progress each project makes in resolving defects.
Projects at higher rungs receive access to additional analysis capabilities
and configuration options. Projects are promoted as they resolve the
majority of defects identified at their current rung.
About Coverity
Coverity (http://www.coverity.com), the leader in improving software
quality and security, is a privately held company headquartered in San
Francisco. Coverity's groundbreaking technology enables developers to
control complexity in the development process by automatically finding and
helping to repair critical software defects and security vulnerabilities
throughout the application lifecycle. More than 450 leading companies
including ARM, Phillips, RIM, Rockwell-Collins, Samsung and UBS rely on
Coverity to help them ensure the delivery of superior software.
Coverity is a registered trademark, and Coverity Extend and Coverity
Prevent are trademarks of Coverity, Inc. All other company and product
names are the property of their respective owners.
Media Contacts
Jim Shissler
Director, Public Relations
jshissler@coverity.com
+1 415 694 5342
Steve Eisenstadt
Page One Public Relations
steve@pageonepr.com
+1 (919) 781-8096
SOURCE Coverity, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.coverity.com
CONTACT:
Jim Shissler, Director, Public Relations of
Coverity, Inc., +1-415-694-5342, jshissler@coverity.com; or Steve
Eisenstadt of Page One Public Relations, +1-919-781-8096,
steve@pageonepr.com, for Coverity, Inc.
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