Re: A possible GFDL compromise: a proposal
Mathieu Roy <yeupou@gnu.org> writes:
> bts@alum.mit.edu (Brian T. Sniffen) a tapoté :
>
>> >> 1. "Is this MP3 file software or hardware?"
>> >
>> > This is one is definitely worse: you explicitely point out which
>> > definition of the word software you think is the most usual, by asking
>> > to refer to this definition.
>>
>> Well, yes: I'm being upfront about in which domain I'm placing the
>> question. Simply asking "Is this MP3 software?" doesn't give any
>> meaningful data, because you can't control for bias on the part of the
>> individual.
>
> Well, what you call "controlling for bias" is in fact controlling the
> data.
I didn't say my question controlled for bias: I said you failed to do
so, and presented several alternative questions which explicitly
pulled the answer into certain domains.
> Have you some background in sociology?
Minimal. Have you? I've got some statistics experience, though.
> You know, there's are interesting books that explain some acceptable
> methodology to follow when doing interviews and wanting "meaningful
> data" (in a little bit scientific and honnest way).
There certainly are.
> For instance, "controling for bias" should be done once you already
> collected the data, not during this collection of _raw_ data, if you
> do not want to alter too much the _raw_ data.
Well, yes:
> "Is this MP3 software?" seems to be a correct question: it does not
> propose any definition of software to follow, so the questioned one
> must answer by explaining partly what he considers to be software.
Well, no. A good question to ask is: "Give me some examples of
software. Try to span the range of what 'software' might include."
"Is this corner case software, answer quick now, no long consideration
or checking references" is a horrid question.
-Brian
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