[Clipart] Typeforge: Online Projects Survey

[Alan Horkan]

On Wed, 9 Aug 2006, Bryce Harrington wrote:

> Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 15:47:23 -0700
> From: Bryce Harrington <bryce at bryceharrington.org>
> To: Jon Phillips <jon at rejon.org>
> Cc: clipart at lists.freedesktop.org
> Subject: Re: [Clipart] Typeforge: Online Projects Survey
>
> I never bother to answer these because they typically do not follow up
> and provide the results back to the participants.  I'd like to see a
> study of how much FOSS development time is used up responding to
> academic research spam.  ;-)

I no longer reply to this research spam either.

They are happening more and more often and they almost never provide any
meaningful feedback to the lists where they request participation.

They ask too much for too little (usually nothing) in return.  I've heard
a little feedback from some of research by very large well known groups
but even then not much.  If I thought these research studies might provide
good free publicity it migth provide an incentive to participate but the
research results could just as easily be discouraging.

It is a bit like trying to be polite to the hundreth user who rudely asks
a frequently asked question.  You cannot blame him for being the hundreth
person to ask and the best you can really do is be polite and give brief
advice on where to look.

For future reference you might want to make your credentials clearer up
front and explain who you are and what research group you are part of.
Your use of a practically anonymous gmail account instead of an email
address from your University or research does not help your case (perhaps
that is unavoidable and not your fault but it does not change the matter).

If you are an active participant in an Open Source group I might be
familiar with I might have been more inclined to help out.

So my apologies to Mr. Amado, I must decline to participate in your
survey, it is unfortunate that the poor behaviour of those who have gone
before you have made it much harder for you to conduct your research but I
wish you the best of luck.  Hope are comments will at least provide some
insight and give you something more to write about than if we had quietly
ignored your request.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

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