Re: [RFC] Git User's Survey 2008

Hi,

Jakub Narebski wrote:

Then we should use a web-based survey, because e-mail-based will always be used to write free-form answers, I think.

So for multiple choice questions an "Other" item is often useful, but -- if the survey service allows it -- I'd prefer if the "Other" item enables a text input field (free-form) to let the user be more concrete. Those values are informational only, but could be added to Git User's Survey 2009, if they occur more than once. :)

Hmm, perhaps we could spam some news sites[1] on the web and keep the lists clean. Of course, this is advertising for git, too ;-)

[1] I could write something for German-speaking pro-linux.de and symlink.ch
    though I don't know if they take it as news.

Nice. That should be done again ;-)

Perhaps this is much too much, but my first thought was: 8 weeks. Hmm, perhaps 5 weeks?

This is a really nasty multiple choice question.

Perhaps yes.
The programming language list
	https://www.ohloh.net/tools
could be a start %)

- other off-line: told by friend, must be used at job, ...

Hmmm. Is this a limitation by the free web-based services or is this due to survey usability issues?

Hmm, the master/next/pu/dirty question will be a mystery to most git users that have never cared about git source code.

I wonder if this could be extended to get an idea how many people use plumbing directly or, even better, add a question like:

	Which of the following git commands or extra git tools do you use regularly?

	[list of all plumbing, porcelain and tools like stgit, guilt, etc]

or "... have you never used?", or "...have you ever used?"... Just to get an idea of what commands are often used by the users.

Perhaps it is even useful to extend that list by some behavior-changing options, like:

	[ ] git add
	[ ] git add -i / -p
	...
	[ ] git am
	[ ] git am -i
	...
	[ ] git merge
	[ ] git merge with strategy
	...
	[ ] git rebase
	[ ] git rebase -i

...though this is also handled by question 27 (see below).

Yes, this will be a long list :-) And don't forget the [ ] other :)

Of course this question could be split into
 - extra tools
 - guis (like question 17.)
 - helpers
 - porcelain
 - plumbings

Question 27. should be in this section, too:

Hmm, I'd remove "git-gui or other commit tool, gitk or other history viewer, patch management interface (e.g. StGIT)". And depending of the question I just proposed, "interactive rebase", "add --interactive [...]", "bisect" could be removed, too.

No, why should we care about the web server? :)

Hmmm, "Do you miss features in git that you know from other SCMs?" "If yes, what features are these?"

Since this is single-choice, a "don't know"/"cannot say" option should be added.

"what are it" sounds somehow funny. Is it correct? "what are them?" or "what are those?" Or "If you use some important Git feature not mentioned above, what is it?"

36. Do you think there is too few documentation on the web?
37. Do you think there is too much documentation on the web?

No ;-) Perhaps:

36. Do you think it is easy to find out how to do a specific task with
    git?

About the survey

47. Do you have any comments about the survey?
48. Should such a survey be repeated next year?
(Or: Would you take part in such a survey next year again?)
    [ ] Yes
    [ ] No, but 2010 again.
    [ ] No, never again.

Just a poor idea to get "feedback" if people like to take part in this survey or not.

Regards,
  Stephan