Re: Proposal for an Emacs User Survey

[Jean Louis]

* Teemu Likonen <tlikonen@iki.fi> [2020-10-26 20:44]:
> I think we should appreciate the fact that the original poster (Adrien
> Brochard) actually did something. He is really conducting a survey. He
> is not just talking and designing a theoretically and ethically perfect
> survey, as the rest of us.
> 
> https://emacssurvey.org/

The bug database
https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/pkgreport.cgi?which=pkg&data=emacs is like
a pinpointed poll on what people would like to have improved.

While the survey is interesting, it went into public with little good
preparation now driving users to . Impression is that there was impatience and 
rush to make
the survey or poll.

Comparing the Emacs bug system to the survey I see that bug system
actually works very well including this mailing list. The type of
discussions may seem talky though in background it is very productive
and Emacs gets speedily improved.

When doing such outreach it would be useful to reference to the bug
system and help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org mailing list where every user may
ask for general help on Emacs.

> He is really conducting a survey. He is not just talking and
> designing a theoretically and ethically perfect survey, as the rest
> of us.

The survey is not well planned and implemented technically. That is
beyond theoretical or ethical subjects. Survey gives two options for
user to fill it online and to fill the Org file, I did the last and
signed it with my GPG key.

Example is here:

- HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR USE OF EMACS?

- [X] Use it for work
- [X] I use it for serious "hobby" projects
- [X] I'm just tinkering
- [X] I use it for my studies
- [X] Other (please specify)
  - for browsing Internet
  - for database management
  - CRM or Customer Relationship Management
  - WRS or Website Revision System
  - for management of mailing lists and marketing

The online form offers only one option among those above options. And
so on for each section of the survey, there is option list instead of
a checklist.

To make a survey form like that is maybe 20 minutes to 60 minutes of
work and it would cost maybe $5 to $20 to hire somebody to do it, many
would do it for free and it would be technically readable and
accessible page without any non-free Javascript or third parties being
involved.

-- 
Jean Louis