Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2024. Read them in this 16th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Open Source and Developer Happiness Will be Top Priorities in 2024
By Milin Desai, CEO, Sentry.io
Software continues to be the biggest innovation driver for most companies, making the software development process a critical area to get right. Two issues that were top of mind in 2023 were developer productivity and the use of open source, and these will both evolve in important ways in 2024.
Keeping developers happy is critical to both retention and productivity. Sentry’s recent developer survey showed that increased developer happiness translates directly to increased productivity, and that means giving developers the tools and work environment they need to perform at their best.
Open source is another key driver of innovation, but open source projects are not self-sustaining and need to be supported through donations and other means. Companies that benefit from open source are realizing this and will increasingly pressure their vendors to be open-source aligned.
Here are four predictions for how the worlds of software development and open source will evolve in 2024.
More companies will support open source projects – and demand the same from their vendors
The active maintenance of open source projects is in worrying decline, and in 2024 more businesses will follow on the heels of Porsche, Spotify and others and make open source support a core requirement from their vendors and partners. Open source is driving progress in AI, software development and other fast-moving areas, and companies that depend on software to run their businesses rely on open source to keep pace with innovation. That’s why, next year, even more organizations will prioritize working with vendors who support open source projects, and more organizations will also contribute money and time to open source projects themselves.
Enterprises that empower developers will win out in 2024
Software developers will continue to be in high demand because they are integral to keeping the lights on – literally, in some cases. Right now, most companies don’t give their developers a seat at the executive table, and this leads to troublesome challenges. With uncertain economic conditions ahead, it’s imperative that the C-suite listens closely to their developer teams to ensure they are supporting them in their work versus tying them up with cumbersome processes and layers of management. Those that don’t create a positive work environment will end up with unhappy developers, reducing their productivity and harming innovation.
The notion of a ‘single pane of glass’ for observability products will lose steam
More companies will realize that observability is a practice, not a product. The current craze for one-size-fits-all observability products ignores the specialized needs of specific personas and their workflows in areas like security, data, SRE and software development. These teams need tools that focus on smoother workflows and prioritize data of value over data volume. That means challenging vendors that claim a single tool works for every persona involved in building and maintaining applications. In 2024, the cracks in the observability market will become more evident and companies will redirect investments towards more suitable products.
Software developers entering the job market will have to work harder to stand out
Software developers will remain in high demand next year but competition for the best jobs will remain intense. Veteran developers should have no problem landing new roles as they have the deep experience and community involvement to demonstrate their value. However, recent graduates will need to showcase their skills and build connections to get noticed. They can market their skills by contributing to open source projects and frameworks, which also helps to keep their skills up to date. And while these contributions can help them stand out, not all developers, particularly those from underrepresented groups, can afford to work underfunded. That’s why Sentry is proud to support organizations like Outreachy.org, which offers paid internships to make contributing to open source and open science more accessible.
To build connections, recent graduates should also participate in local meetups and attend virtual networking opportunities. These are a good substitute for industry conferences, which are often too expensive for entry-level developers to attend.
Software will continue to be a major differentiator in 2024, but organizations can’t take their development teams for granted. Listening to the needs of developers and giving them the right tools and working conditions to do their best work will be critical to success. And supporting the open source projects that so many businesses depend on will keep the font of innovation flowing.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Milin Desai is CEO of Sentry, a developer tools company, and the former general manager of cloud services platform VMware.
