Original Code and its Lack thereof in Embedded Technology

Code reuse is very common in the world of computer programming. Much of this reused code is developed by third party providers or taken from open source channels. Until some years ago, writing your own code was normal but not anymore. The demand for quick results, market pressures and the need to produce code at a low cost has led to this change.

This does not mean that embedded developers are becoming obsolete. More than 50 % of project budgets are still reserved for software development. The problem is, embedded developers are not able to keep pace. More than 40% of embedded developers working on such projects report that their projects are running behind schedule. As a result, more than 44% of companies are forced to use third party software.

The trend is catching up so much so that by 2017, more than 95% of companies will be taking help from third party software development companies and open source developers to fulfill their demands. Software audits reveal that between 30 to 90% of files contain open source software.

Using open source code comes with its share of risks. When a company writes its own code without ambiguities, hackers find it very difficult to get a foothold in the software. If you have taken help from a third party company and if a breach occurs, you can at least go back to the company and hold them accountable. But when you are using open source software, you cannot do that. For embedded developers, this is something to be closely considered.