Re: GNOME user survey 2011 (v4)

[Alan Cox <alan lxorguk ukuu org uk>]

> Any survey that isn't a carefully controlled randomly selected sample of 
> users doesn't result in learning. It results in data that forms some 

You need truely or reasonably random samples for certain kinds of
activities and analysis in particularly quantitative analysis when you
want to perform p tests and the like. You don't need it in order to
learn merely to generate statistical proofs and those are often quite
useless anyway. Proviing gnome 3 is great/indifferent/sucks doesn't have
much value. You do not need it for explorative learning. Small children
do not need to open a statistically valid sample of randomly chosen doors
to learn about doors !

I for one would not be surprised if a lot of responses were not more
positive than some seem to think. There has been time for people to use
it and adjust and apply the fixes. Even odder there is no Gnome fork. If
as I hear 'Gnome 3 is hated by technical people' and there are enough who
care there ought to be a Gnome fork by now.

But what do we have - exde, dead, turned into a one page rant and no code

Mate - described by phoronix as "The Mate Desktop Environment fork of
GNOME2 was started by an Arch Linux user back in June, but it hasn't yet
gained too much traction and is mostly just talked about on various
forums around the web. "

which about sums it up.

> sort of rorschach blot. Everyone will see what they want to see. Those 
> who believe that Gnome 3 is a step back will point out that the majority 
> of responses are negative. Those who believe it's a step forward will 
> point out that happy users are going to be far less inclined to respond. 

You seem to be assuming the results and that the only question of interest
is "does gnome 3 suck".

> nothing, but we'd guarantee another huge set of arguments which would 
> themselves also tell us nothing.

Those will tell you a lot if someone analyses them. Again you may not be
able to do formal mathematical tests on them but so what.

> If we want to find out what our users think then the only way to do that is to 
> have professional involvement and a random sample set.

Of course, and the only way to produce a kernel or desktop is to hire
professionals to do it for you no doubt.

Alan