Coverity finds Python sets new level of quality for open source software

SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Coverity Inc., the leader in development testing, announced the results of its second Coverity Scan project spotlight, which analyzed the Python open source software project, including defect density as compared to the industry average defect density for good quality software and types of defects identified.

Python software has been in use for more than 20 years, enabling secure and reliable programs for industry, service sector and research and science applications. Industry-leading organizations including CERN, Google, Mozilla and YouTube, among many others, incorporate the popular programming language into their applications.

Python was one of the initial projects included in the Coverity Scan service, which enables the open source community to find and fix critical quality and security defects in their code. Since 2006, Python has achieved a defect density of .005 (or .005 defects per 1,000 lines of code) and has eliminated all high-risk defects in its codebase.

Coverity introduced its monthly Coverity Scan Project Spotlights due to extraordinary demand for the annual Coverity Scan Report and the insight it provides into the state of open source software quality. The Coverity Scan Report has become a widely accepted standard for measuring the state of open source software quality.

The 2012 Scan Report found an average defect density of .69 for open source software projects that leverage the Coverity Scan service, as compared to the accepted industry standard defect density for good quality software of 1.0. Python's defect density of .005 significantly surpasses this standard, and introduces a new level of quality for open source software.

To date, the Coverity Scan service has analyzed nearly 400,000 lines of Python code and identified 996 new defects - 860 of which have been fixed by the Python community.

"Python is the model citizen of good code quality practices, and we applaud their contributors and maintainers for their commitment to quality," said Jennifer Johnson, chief marketing officer for Coverity.

"Python's decision to join the Coverity Scan service and leverage our industry-leading development testing platform has raised the bar for open source software. This Scan Spotlight - and Python's impressive level of software quality - should be a call to action for any C/C++ or Java open source project not yet reaping the benefits of the Coverity Scan service."