Fewer than one in 10 developers are writing applications for Microsoft's Vista operating system, according to new statistics from analyst house Evans Data.

Evans Data's Spring 2008 North American Development Survey found that eight per cent of developers are working on Vista applications, compared to nearly 50 per cent on Windows XP, which Microsoft will cease selling on 30 June.

"Developers have taken a wait-and-see approach to Vista," said Evans Data president John Andrews.

"The new operating system has had more than its share of problems and the desire to move from XP on the Windows platform is still lagging.

"Coupled with interest in alternative operating systems, this is suppressing development activity and that in turn will further erode Vista's acceptance."

The survey also found that the majority of developers are likely still to favour XP in 2009. Some 24 per cent said that they would be focusing on Vista next year, compared to 29 per cent for XP.

Just over two thirds of developers are writing for Microsoft software, including Windows Server 2003 and 2008. Over 15 per cent reported that they would be concentrating on Linux applications.

The survey also showed that security has become a much higher priority in recent years. Two thirds of North American developers are taking time to build in security before laying down code.