Re: Software section ideas

[EAMorical@aol.com]

Just a few thoughts.

>Hi again,
>     Short of writing a bunch of surveys about what software features
>are needed for a given type of program (which may well be a worthwhile
>task, but probably doesn't belong as part of an OS survey :), what sort
>of information could we glean from the survey to pass on to the
>community to help them make their labours more readily visible?

This is a problem I've had all along. Usually one doesn't just run an OS.
One runs applications on an OS. If the application one wants to run,
isn't available for a particular OS, one doesn't run the OS. This is the
problem I'm facing. I want to run speech recognition. I can find nothing
available for Linux. I don't see how one can avoid the software issue if
one wants to come up with something meaningful for the Linux community.
This goes back to the question 'what do you use your computer for'. We
need to come up with a good set of major areas of applications. This is
going to take some real thought.

>     Some things have already been done to this end. There's the linux
>software map, Independance (www.independance.seul.org) and a few other
>places. Here are a few questions to try to tease out how folks find out
>about software and what they need to do - something we've been working
>on indirectly up 'till now. What other questions do we need?

Pete, We also need to take a look at what Karsten had to say on this.
Re: 0x012 -> 0x013 change summary 9/7/98 3:49:22 AM EST

>Where do you normally find out about software?
> - Word of mouth
> - Web sites
> - Store displays
> - Sales advice
> - Television advertising
>[Any others? This could help us get at how folks find out about software
>in the first place]

Online service (AOL bombards one with such ads)
Mailing lists (junk mail)
Magazines

>Which of the following web sites have you visited in the last three
>months?
> - Apple.com
> - Linux software map
> - Microsoft.com
> - None of the above
>[Who else should be here?]

>What would you say the single most important task you use your computer
>for:
> - Word processing
> - Spreadsheets
> - Databases
> - Email
> - Web browsing
> - Programming
> - CAD
>[What else?]

 - Office productivity
	 - Word processing
	 - Spreadsheets
	 - Databases
 - Financial
 - Internet
	 - Email
	 - Web browsing
 - Software development
 - Engineering
	 - CAD
	 - Analysis (structural, vibration, earthquake)
 - Educational
 - Games

Bob