OpenSUSE Profiles Linux Users. Uses Macintosh to Report.
Views (4,851) / 
Comments (5)
/ 
Trackback (0)
/
Digg/Share
Novell’s openSUSE has been getting some press lately. To move along their gamble for enterprise Linux, they conducted a massive survey (of sorts) in which they have compiled the ratings of some 27,000 + users and have come up with a profile of the folks who use Linux.
No, wait. That’s not truly *all* Linux users. It’s only openSUSE users. Sample bias and all that. To quote the questionnaire:
And then, there’s the fun in noting the “Document Properties” of this PDF file:
Is it just me or is there some delicious irony in that? 
Anyway, so, basically, this Apple Macintosh created pdf file is a *general survey* of opinions and usage experiences of openSUSE for the developers and those working in and around openSUSE. Nothing more, nothing less. It shows that the majority of users are males in their 20’s who consider themselves computer savvy (quick, act surprised). However most are not IT types the survey concludes. But some of the interesting facts the survey came up with were:
- Some 70% of users Dual boot both Windows and openSUSE Linux. (This means not even the people who have jumped on the Linux bandwagon have altogether abandoned Windows).
- Almost 90% have a DSL/Broadband internet connection. (Which is useful as most Linux distro’s need updating right after installation—how’s that for an end-user OS?)
- Over 70% chose the KDE interface instead of Gnome when using OpenSuse Linux. (Good to know. Haven’t we had it with Gnome lovers—guys, Gnome just looks butt-ugly.)
- Over 85% indicated that they have no involvement with openSUSE and don’t even file bug reports. (Ha!)
- Over 60% use OpenSuse Linux was private use. (Not surprising, because openSUSE is the non-enterprise version. Who conducted this survey?)
A quick glance at the grand survey will reveal several oddities. For instance, “Question 4. What’s your profession” ? Now just about anyone who can spell Linux knows the number one profession among Linux users…um, and it’s the one profession that can legally get away with being 98% male (a good friend of mine is 98% male), with an age of around 25-30. Duh? Some of the final questions in the survey were interesting—about various aspects of the OS, such as hardware support, stability, security, software and so forth. On a scale of 1 to 5 most scored the OS in the 3 to 4 range. The highest rating 4.56 was for price. Is that indicative? Hmm. For a free OS..
This is a classic (and moronic) PR damage control after the flak that Novell picked up by getting in bed with Microsoft. A survey clearly written for corporate clients, reapplied and repackaged for openSUSE users as a ruse to appear committed to open-source and Linux.
(508 Words | )
- Fixing Nano Issues on Linux
- All about Knoppix
- First Mile Solutions: Cheap net access
- Top 13 Windows XP tips from MaximumPC
- Microsoft's WSYP Program
Hi Francis,
Thanks for the note.
> To move along their gamble for enterprise Linux
Yes, the openSUSE is a big project. Novell’s non-trivial hope however is enterprise Linux, which makes money. May I politely point you right back to the very source you suggested—Google—to get innumerable opinions on where this stems from. openSUSE is a limited-version software at best.
Novell certainly has to re-establish its commitment to open source in the public mind after its recent overtures toward Microsoft. Again, a number of sites from Slashdot to Linuxworld will have opinions from everyday Linux users. In signing the MS deal, Novell has deliberately and disingenuously circumvented one of the key elements that ensures the continuity of the GNU General Public License, version 2. The GPL states that you cannot encumber the license with additional terms (patent limitations, for example), because that would work against the the principle of the FSF’s four freedoms: to study, copy, modify and redistribute software.
Novell inked a deal with Microsoft that did an end-run around this limitation by agreeing not to sue Novell’s customers for patent infringement. This makes a scenario possible in which an unsuspecting company or individual could use GPL software, assuming that they had every right to do so, only to have Microsoft sue them later for breach of patent. As long as they’re not Novell customers, MS would be perfectly within their rights to do so.
It stretches belief to imagine that Microsoft didn’t know they were subverting the essence - if not the letter - of the GPL with this deal. But we’ve known for years now that Microsoft sees the GPL as a threat, and that they are working actively to defeat it using both fair means and foul.
As for the survey, of course it was meant only for openSUSE desktop users? Was it presented that way? Not quite. Read the mainstream press and how it quotes the grand survey conducted by Novell. You and I know it’s only openSUSE users, mainstream media is less coherent. Many people read mainstream media—the people who buy enterprise Linux.
I’ve been a SuSE user/admirer/evangelist for much longer than it flitted past Novell’s view. And Novell needs to stop deluding itself about how much support it has from the market. Especially after the stuff that Ximian’s team has done to how SuSE was originally structured.
If there’s anyone truly devoted to the Linux cause today, it’s Ubuntu (or in my case, Kubuntu). Here’s a comparitive guide of the two Novell offerings, may I draw your attention to “Security patches”.
In any case, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
> Yes, the openSUSE is a big project. Novell’s non-trivial hope however is enterprise Linux, which makes money. May I politely point you right back to the very source you suggested—Google—to get innumerable opinions on where this stems from. openSUSE is a limited-version software at best.
How does any of what you have just said here follow? A few facts:
(i) Novell is commited to the enterprise (through SUSE Linux Enterprise) and through the average consumer (openSUSE)
(ii) no, openSUSE is not “limited software at best”. openSUSE has longer security support than most Linux distributions (2 years, whereas i.e. regular Ubuntu releases only provide 18 months; they’ve also got a way, way bigger security team).
> Novell certainly has to re-establish its commitment to open source in the public mind after its recent overtures toward Microsoft. Again, a number of sites from Slashdot to Linuxworld will have opinions from everyday Linux users.
If that is really what you think “the Linux community” is then your concept needs a little re-evaluation. Those are only spectacularly vocal people who so frequently jump on the trailer of being swooped away by negative headlines, without even knowing about the deal. Case in point:
> In signing the MS deal, Novell has deliberately and disingenuously circumvented one of the key elements that ensures the continuity of the GNU General Public License, version 2.
Did you check out that FAQ link I provided? RMS and the FSF have all explicitly stated that there is absolutely no GPL (v2) violation with the deal. What more do you want?
> This makes a scenario possible in which an unsuspecting company or individual could use GPL software, assuming that they had every right to do so, only to have Microsoft sue them later for breach of patent.
Do you think this was an impossibility before? If it wasn’t, then what has changed for that person, or that company?
> As for the survey, of course it was meant only for openSUSE desktop users? Was it presented that way? Not quite.
You couldn’t be more wrong. The survey title was called “openSUSE user survey”, the PDF is called “openSUSE 10.2 Survey Results”, the official announcement said “openSUSE user survey”. Which part of this presentation is unclear? Honestly, your conclusion there is quite unbelievable.
Again, even if some random site cited it as a grand survey conducted by Novell, again…what? How exactly is that down to any evil from Novell or openSUSE? It couldn’t be clearer from the way the survey was done, announced, and presented that it was an openSUSE user survey.
> I’ve been a SuSE user/admirer/evangelist for much longer than it flitted past Novell’s view. And Novell needs to stop deluding itself about how much support it has from the market. Especially after the stuff that Ximian’s team has done to how SuSE was originally structured.
No, SUSE Linux Enterprise is different because of the Ximian team; openSUSE is still fully commited to KDE, but I’ll talk further about that in a second.
> If there’s anyone truly devoted to the Linux cause today, it’s Ubuntu (or in my case, Kubuntu). Here’s a comparitive guide of the two Novell offerings, may I draw your attention to “Security patches”.
Please stop kidding yourself. Ubuntu is nice, and so are other distributions, but please don’t try to suggest that Ubuntu is some type of Linux champion. You’re talking about Kubuntu, KDE: openSUSE sponsor more people to work directly on KDE than _anyone_ else (this includes 3 of the 7 on the KDE Technical board). People that probably wouldn’t be able to dedicate much time to it at all, now can, because of openSUSE.
Apart from the crazy amount of Linux kernel, OpenOffice.Org, KDE, GNOME, etc etc developers that it continuously sponsors and employs to make Linux possible, it also contributes in the way of innovation to the mainstream Linux community, such as with the openSUSE Build Service, the OIN (Novell is a founding member), etc.
Ubuntu is mainly a distribution just packaging things from Debian (and hence a lot of their work is already done), with less of a stress on innovation (though they innovate some things, like Launchpad…though that’s proprietary), and a huge stress on marketing. openSUSE/Novell are the ones actually innovating and one of the things that really makes Linux a reality, and possible, in the real world.
I’m not that sure why you’re annoyed by the openSUSE and SLE comparison. If you want Linux for your home, get openSUSE, if you want unrivalled support and security (and hence for an enterprise), then go for SLE.
I really recommend that openSUSE FAQ on the MS-Novell deal though, really.
Not sure if this comment will go through because the commenting system on this site/blog seems broken but is this the same Microsoft we are talking about?
Well, here’s an interesting video on the subject-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YExl9ojclo
‘LameDuck’, the comments are working for me. What error did you get?
Comment Preview
Admin said:
> To move along their gamble for enterprise Linux, they conducted a massive survey (of sorts) in which they have compiled the ratings of some 27,000 + users and have come up with a profile of the folks who use Linux.
No, this isn’t true at all. For one, saying that Novell is ‘gambling’ with its SUSE Linux Enterprise Linux is pretty false when you start considering how the project is managed, how insanely large their Linux team is, and how much money and resources are going into it. It’s a business, and one that’s making profit; hardly a gamble.
Secondly, the survey had nothing to do with SUSE Linux Enterprise (as you even quoted yourself). The survey was about *openSUSE*, specifically openSUSE 10.2, with feedback for upcoming openSUSE releases. It was never meant to be a survey for an overview of all Linux users, nor was it one for the enterprise.
The information provided has already been tremendously helpful (not only to openSUSE, to others out there as well; don’t believe me? Use Google and see how many people blogged about being happy having the results), so you’d do well to not dream up another senseless conspiracy theory that it was a PR stunt.
Novell hardly have to “re-establish their commitment to open source”, and saying that just completely ignores the insane amount of contribution that they have made in the past, and the continued and increasing contribution that they are making. Please read some FAQs