  Having similar code fragments, also called clones, in software systems can
lead to unnecessary comprehension, review and change efforts. Syntactically
similar clones can often be encountered in practice. The same is not clear for
only functionally similar clones (FSC).
  We conducted an exploratory survey among developers to investigate whether
they encounter functionally similar clones in practice and whether there is a
difference in their inclination to remove them to syntactically similar clones.
  Of the 34 developers answering the survey, 31 have experienced FSC in their
professional work, and 24 have experienced problems caused by FSCs. We found no
difference in the inclination and reasoning for removing FSCs and syntactically
similar clones. FSCs exist in practice and should be investigated to bring
clone detectors to the same quality as for syntactically similar clones,
because being able to detect them allows developers to manage and potentially
remove them.
