\label{sec:comments}
We allowed participants to leave comments at the end of the survey. In order to increase the anonymity of comments we detached them from the answers to the other questions (aside from career stage). We further removed e-mails, names, or other identifying information from the content of the comments. If anyone who took the survey would prefer that their comments not be included, we ask them to contact us and we would be happy to remove the information from the public dataset.
We see three recurring topics in the comments. The first common comment topic is the switch from IDL to Python. Many users comment that they would like to or are planning to make the switch from IDL to Python, frequently because of licensing issues and costs. We find it particularly striking that several senior astronomers commented that they are learning Python to be more helpful to their students.
The second common comment topic is the desire for more opportunities to improve software development skills. Many participants voiced interest in attending software development classes for astronomers. Several suggested that classes in programming and statistics should be an integral part of the undergraduate and/or graduate curriculum in astronomy. Participants suggested that such training not only aids in better research efficiency, but also can make code more readable and reusable.
The third recurring topic in the comments is the lack of career opportunities for astronomers who write software. Comments suggest that more professional recognition should be given to those who spend most of their time developing important tools for the astronomical community and that such efforts should be recognized in hiring and explicitly funded.
We cite some of the representative comments on each topic in the Appendix.