Andreas Hauser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > jpb wrote @ Sat, 23 Apr 2005 18:13:53 -0400: > > * Dag-Erling Smørgrav <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2005-04-23 17:20]: > > > Jim Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > Dag-Erling Smørgrav <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > > Like I said, I can't even answer the first question without lying. > > > > Select a 'close enough answer' for number 1 or leave it blank. > > > > > > There is no close enough answer. I don't do system or network > > > administration, I'm not a manager, I don't hire, supervise, educate or > > > train anyone, and I dropped out of university a couple of years ago. > > > I don't even use BSD at work (though that may change in the future, > > > and my employer will be glad to offer BSD training classes once you > > > guys come up with a credible certification exam) > > > > > > Is it really so hard to add "I'm a software developer or integrator" > > > to the list of possible answers for question 1? > > > > I give you special dispensation to leave the first question blank. > > You are hereby released from all moral and legal obligations to > > answer the first question. You are also released from any responsibility > > for any damage done to the validity of the survey, the reputation of > > The BSD Certification Group, any resulting certification(s), the BSD > > projects, computers and computer science, general higher education > > and learning, and the moral and physical well being of the human race. > > > > There. I think that covers it. > > > > Can we move on to Question 2 now? > > Please stop ridiculing the topic.
I don't see any ridicule here. Any survey I've ever taken has questions that are difficult or impossible to answer honestly and completely. Unfortunately, the surveyor is torn between the interests of getting the survey done and analyzing the results with the existing (usually limited) resources, and providing a survey that takes in all possible responses. The "multiple choice with comment boxes" type of survey is usually seen as a good compromise between these two, contradictary goals. > The survey is made pretty bad. It's not unusual for a first survey to be shaky in many ways. Often the result of a survey it the realization that a second survey needs done because the first didn't ask the right questions. None of this is unusual. It doesn't sound as if you have much experience developing, delivering or analyzing surveys. > The answers don't fit, the questions overlap and often are hardly decidable. I agree that the "how often" answers are very often difficult or impossible to answer. It's likely that phrasing that part of the question differently would help: i.e. "How often, in the life of a single server, does the task need done" Answers being something like: "only at install", "only during unusual circumstances", "quarterly", "monthly", "weekly", "daily". > The only one i can imagine making it through, is someone that is so bad > at what he does, that a) he has the time and b) is dull enough no to notice > it's shortcomings. You speak of ridicule, but they you accuse me of being either stupid or having too much free time on my hands. Perhaps it's possible that some people care enough about a project like this to struggle through the early difficulties that any project has. > If you want to legitimize yourself as something the community listens to > and respects, i think you should take a more closer way with the community. Thank you. The project appreciates your offer to help. It would be best of you took your concerns about the survey and listed them as a clear list of items to be addressed, then listed your _exact_ changes to the survey and explained how these changes address the issues. There's no doubt in my mind that your suggestions will be a key factor in improving the second iteration of the survey. -- Bill Moran Potential Technologies http://www.potentialtech.com _______________________________________________ BSDCert mailing list [email protected] http://lists.nycbug.org/mailman/listinfo/bsdcert
