A report on a survey and study of static analysis users

Abstract

As static analysis tools mature and attract more users, vendors and researchers have an increased interest in understanding how users interact with them, and how they impact the software development process. The FindBugs project has conducted a number of studies including online surveys, interviews and a preliminary controlled user study to better understand the practices, experiences and needs of its users. Through these studies we have learned that many users are interested in even low priority warnings, and some organizations are building custom solutions to more seamlessly and automatically integrate FindBugs into their software processes. We've also observed that developers can make decisions about the accuracy and severity of warnings fairly quickly and independent reviewers will generally reach the same conclusions about warnings.