[KLUG Advocacy] Linux Outpacing Macintosh On Desktops

[Robert G. Brown]

>>>If you survey a business that has, say ~100 desktops, on the whole those
>>>machines will be pretty homogeneous.  The managers will have
>>>documentation of the exceptions.///
>>That's probably true (at least in well-run organization, or with well-
>>run networks)....there is a *lot* of diversity here.
>I've seen some really terrible networks.  But at large sites they are
>always able to describe the terrible-ness.
Usually true. Usually they even know it's bad.

>>>Home systems are likely to be misreported,  either deliberately or
>>>because the person doesn't even understand the question. 
>>This is probably true, and surveyeos are adept at creating questionairres
>>that double-check this sort of thing, perhaps asking the same questions a
>>couple of different ways.....
>>On the other hand, good surveyors do not leave it at that, or they 
>>supply questions that are more specific. Even a slight rewording,
>>like "What Operating System do you use on your home computer?" is
>>a clearer way....
>Ok, I'll concede that.  It you have people to separate the wheat from
>the chaff (or the ballots from the chad, or bearded mean from the
>terrorists, etc...) at the point of contact you could make it work. 
>Must be that alot of the numbers published in things like Infoworld are
>simply not good surveys.

The devil is in the details. I'd like to see the questions, or review the 
survey method. If I was the client of a good surveying group, you can bet your 
????s or even your left t[a-z]* that that you'de be in on this if you were.

							Regards,
							---> RGB <---