Re: How popular is Debian (popularity contest)
Simon Kitching <simon@ecnetwork.co.nz> said on Mon, 09 Aug 2004 10:05:07 +1200:
> I think a better way to measure the number of debian installs would be
> for security.debian.org to count unique IP addresses. While lots of
> people won't have popularity-contest installed, a large majority of them
> will be getting security updates...
>
> Of course this would not count users of testing or unstable, which don't
> have security updates. And it won't properly count people using
> apt-proxy, etc. or behind NAT firewalls. But it would be a start.
Or any proxy.
I think surveys with known and unquantifyable biases are useless, and
as such do not represent a "start".
As I said earlier, popcon has one use and one use only - to see
relative usage of packages; and even there, it has biases - I also
mentioned earlier than laptop users wouldn't use popcon, because they
turn off access-time updates on their HD. And as you also say, server
users also may be less likely to partake in "fun" surveys such as
popcon.
But I guess in this use, popcon does represent a start, as long as the
people putting the CDs do at least realise the biases.
--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
The Klein-Gordon equation was derived by Schroedinger.
Hence its name. -- Peter Robinson, Rel. Quant. Mech Lecturer.
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