Xconomy reports that Black Duck Software has acquired open source code search engine Koders. The Koders Web site says that more than 30,000 developers worldwide use the search engine every day to find reusable code (open source and Web-downloadable) and other resources to save time and effort. InfoWorld blogger Savio Rodrigues says the buy was a prudent one:

The Koders acquisition makes sense because more and more developers are developing by reusing code from external code repositories like Koders. Being able to tap into this source of code (pun intended) will help improve Black Duck's code scanning capabilities. As a result, this acquisition will improve the level of information (and protection) that companies using OSS have at their disposal.

According to a press release from Black Duck, the company will improve the Koders search engine and incorporate it into its portfolio of open source management tools. The details of the deal have not been made public, but Koders CEO and founder Darren Rush says:

...[N]ow Koders is strategically positioned within the larger context of open source component reuse. With this acquisition, we step ahead and become part of a comprehensive family of developer productivity solutions.

In his personal blog, Black Duck CEO Doug Levin says the company is "committed to maintaining and improving[Koders] as a free resource."

What the consolidation means for Black Duck competitor Palamida remains to be seen.