IBM's magnet for IT insiders

The largest online resource for software developers calls Research Triangle Park home.

IBM boasts that its developerWorks site is No. 1, with more than 8 million registered users in 195 countries, including 4 million who visit it regularly for technical articles, blogs, user forums and other helpful information.

The site, which last month marked its 10th anniversary, was conceived at the technology giant's sprawling RTP campus and continues to be based there.

The site focuses on nonproprietary, open-source and open-standard technologies such as Java, XML and Linux -- which, not so coincidentally, are at the core of IBM's software strategy.

And in May, IBM introduced My developerWorks, which is akin to a MySpace or Facebook for developers.

Staff writer David Ranii interviewed Dirk Nicol, co-founder of the site and director of emerging technologies, and Stephanie Martin, director of developerWorks. Here are highlights of that conversation:

• The thumbnail description: "It's a Web-based community and knowledge portal for people who work in the IT industry," Martin said.

Software developers, architects and students use the site to ask questions, find peers and collaborate. They also can peruse more than 30,000 articles.

• The strategy: The ultimate goal is to educate software developers about open-source and open-standard technologies that will lead to more potential consumers of IBM products. "We're not altruistic here," Martin said.

• DeveloperWorks features a link to IBM, but the company doesn't push its products on the site.

"It all involves trust, giving them information that is valuable and accurate," Nicol said.

• The RTP connection: IBM employs about 150 people worldwide for the site, including 47 based in RTP.

It's a smart place to base the site because IBM has 10,000 employees at its RTP campus, many in its software business, creating a "big community of leadership and research here in RTP that we can draw on," Nicol said.

Plus, this region's universities and 34,000 research and development professionals create "a culture of innovation," Martin said.

"We are here so we can contribute to, and feed off of, that culture of innovation."

• The payoff: "It is no small coincidence" that revenue for the IBM software group has nearly doubled in the past 10 years from $12.7 billion in 1999 to $22.1 billion in 2008," Martin said.

Latest Comment View all comments