Survey: Java EE, .NET neck and neck

What's it going to be -- Java Platform or .NET? For larger enterprises, there answer is simple -- they're using both frameworks to build out their Web services and SOAs.

Many industry observers have been talking about the competition between the two platforms for years now.

However, it's not a case of either/or; enterprises want both frameworks for various parts of their IT infrastructures. Both fit into the development plans of most enterprises, at the exact same rate of adoption. 

That's one of the findings of the most recent Evans Data Enterprise Development Management Issues survey, for which I authored the final report. The survey of 400 enterprises with 1,000+ plus employees found that Java Platform (Java, Java EE/J2EE, or J2SE)  is used in the enterprise by more than 60 percent of developers, an 11 percent increase in six months. By next year, this number is expected to grow by up to 25 percent. Interestingly, almost the exact same growth numbers hold true for .NET.

There's plenty of action on the SOA side of things as well, the survey finds. About a third of the enterprises report they have SOAs in place, a number that is expected to double over the next two years. Web services also tops the lists of project priorities being undertaken over the coming year, Evans Data finds.