*BSD News Article 31225


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From: hpeyerl@sidney.novatel.ca (Herb Peyerl)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc
Subject: Re: *BSD counter: 652 registered users of free BSD versions
Date: 1 Jun 1994 15:53:38 GMT
Organization: NovAtel Communications Ltd.
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Message-ID: <2siau3$j2q@fw.novatel.ca>
References: <2sgmil$rui@aun.uninett.no>
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Harald.T.Alvestrand@uninett.no wrote:
: The intention of this counting project is to count all users of UNIXes

: There are 652 registered users of free BSD versions

Forgive me for a short bout of immaturity; but am I the only one on the
face of this planet that finds this completely; totally; and utterly stupid
as well as a complete waste of time not to mention misleading and perhaps
confusing to new users?

For example; I registered a long time ago and I'm assuming that in the
"Canada" record I count as "1".  Does it not matter that I have under my
administrative power a total of 7 NetBSD machines in various locations? Does
it not also matter that some of these machines have upwards of 30 users on
them?

It would seem to me that if you are going to count "*BSD machines" then you
should let the voting-ability reflect that.  If you say that you are counting
*BSD 'users' then you should allow the voters to reflect that as well.

: 13 ca Canada                       22     0    22    26.6   0.8

IMO: I would think you'd want to count "Number of machines".  If that's the
case; then I can account for the entire "Canada" total just in this city
that I live in.  (ie: in machines that I personally know are running some form
of *BSD in Calgary)

Is it your intent to count the number of people who have installed a *BSD
product at some point? That would appear to be all that you'll really be
able to judge by your little survey here.  My question is; what does *that*
mean in the end?  I mean; many many years ago I installed an OS on a Macintosh
(I can't remember what it was... "System" or "Finder" or something like that).
Does that count me as a Macintosh user? I haven't actually used a Mac since 
then and in fact; I didn't even 'use' it then since it wasn't mine.

So; in my opinion:  Either shit or get off the pot!

Thank you.

--
hpeyerl@novatel.ca                           |  NovAtel Commnications Ltd.
hpeyerl@fsa.ca                               | <nothing I say matters anyway>
 "A sucking chest wound is nature's way of telling you to slow down."