UKUUG
(the UK's Unix & Open Systems User Group)
UKUUG Membership Survey 2005 - Results
UKUUG carried out a survey of members in February 2005. The purpose of this survey was two-fold: to provide a demographic of members that might be of interest to potential commercial sponsors; and to find out from members where they think we should be focusing our efforts.
The raw survey results can be found below.
Which of the following best describes your main job function?
134 people answered this question.
| Systems Administration | 49 | 36.6% |
| System Design/Software Engineering | 20 | 14.9% |
| Network/Infrastructure Management | 12 | 9.0% |
| Programming | 12 | 9.0% |
| Other | 12 | 9.0% |
| Research and Development | 7 | 5.2% |
| IT Security | 5 | 3.7% |
| Training/Education | 4 | 3.0% |
| Data Centre Management | 3 | 2.2% |
| Sales/Marketing | 3 | 2.2% |
| User Support | 3 | 2.2% |
| Risk Management | 1 | 0.7% |
| Auditing | 0 | 0.0% |
| Disaster Recovery | 0 | 0.0% |
| Finance/Purchasing | 0 | 0.0% |
| Legal/Compliance | 0 | 0.0% |
Which other roles do you undertake in your job?
131 people answered this question.
| Programming | 78 | 59.5% |
| User Support | 78 | 59.5% |
| IT Security | 68 | 51.9% |
| System Design/Software Engineering | 64 | 48.9% |
| Systems Administration | 64 | 48.9% |
| Network/Infrastructure Management | 62 | 47.3% |
| Research and Development | 56 | 42.7% |
| Training/Education | 49 | 37.4% |
| Disaster Recovery | 44 | 33.6% |
| Finance/Purchasing | 26 | 19.8% |
| Legal/Compliance | 22 | 16.8% |
| Data Centre Management | 20 | 15.3% |
| Risk Management | 16 | 12.2% |
| Auditing | 15 | 11.5% |
| Sales/Marketing | 10 | 7.6% |
| Other | 3 | 2.3% |
Which of the following best describes your position in your organization?
134 people answered this question.
| Technical Specialist | 75 | 56.0% |
| IT Management | 24 | 17.9% |
| Analyst/Consultant | 15 | 11.2% |
| Corporate/board level responsibility for IT | 9 | 6.7% |
| Student/Trainee | 4 | 3.0% |
| Director level responsible for IT | 3 | 2.2% |
| Other corporate/board level | 2 | 1.5% |
| Other director level | 1 | 0.7% |
| General Management | 1 | 0.7% |
Which of the following best describes your role in purchasing decisions?
134 people answered this question.
| Decision maker | 45 | 33.6% |
| Significantly influence the decision | 45 | 33.6% |
| Somewhat influence the decision | 32 | 23.9% |
| No involvement | 12 | 9.0% |
Please indicate your organization's main activity:
134 people answered this question.
| Education/Training | 45 | 33.6% |
| IT Consultancy | 21 | 15.7% |
| Software Development | 11 | 8.2% |
| IT (General) | 10 | 7.5% |
| Service Provider | 8 | 6.0% |
| Other | 8 | 6.0% |
| Telecommunications | 6 | 4.5% |
| Finance/Banking/Insurance | 4 | 3.0% |
| Health/Pharmaceuticals | 4 | 3.0% |
| Local/Central Government | 4 | 3.0% |
| Other Manufacturing/Engineering | 3 | 2.2% |
| Systems Integration | 3 | 2.2% |
| IT Retail | 2 | 1.5% |
| Public Services | 2 | 1.5% |
| Construction/Agriculture/Mining | 1 | 0.7% |
| Utilities/Energy/Water | 1 | 0.7% |
| Catering/Hotels/Leisure/Entertainment | 0 | 0.0% |
| Computer Manufacturing/Wholesale | 0 | 0.0% |
| Distribution | 0 | 0.0% |
| Reseller | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transport/Travel | 0 | 0.0% |
How many employees are there in your organization?
133 people answered this question.
| 1-2 | 27 | 20.3% |
| 1000-4999 | 26 | 19.5% |
| 5000+ | 24 | 18.0% |
| 3-24 | 16 | 12.0% |
| 200-499 | 12 | 9.0% |
| 50-99 | 9 | 6.8% |
| 100-199 | 8 | 6.0% |
| 500-999 | 7 | 5.3% |
| 25-49 | 4 | 3.0% |
How long have you been a member of UKUUG?
134 people answered this question.
| More than 5 years | 56 | 41.8% |
| 3-5 years | 40 | 29.9% |
| Less than 1 year | 19 | 14.2% |
| 1-2 years | 17 | 12.7% |
| Never been a member | 1 | 0.7% |
| Membership lapsed | 1 | 0.7% |
| Membership resigned | 0 | 0.0% |
Do you consider your UKUUG subscription good value for money?
134 people answered this question.
| Very good | 34 | 25.4% |
| Good | 63 | 47.0% |
| Reasonable | 35 | 26.1% |
| Poor | 2 | 1.5% |
| Very poor | 0 | 0.0% |
What was your main reason for joining UKUUG?
133 people answered this question.
| UKUUG conferences | 71 | 53.4% |
| Meeting like-minded people | 32 | 24.1% |
| Supporting the work of the organization | 18 | 13.5% |
| UKUUG newsletter | 11 | 8.3% |
| Discounts on books | 1 | 0.8% |
| Other member discounts | 0 | 0.0% |
Are discounts on books, third-party training, and Internet hosting services an important factor in your continuing UKUUG membership?
133 people answered this question.
| Very important | 16 | 12.0% |
| Somewhat important | 57 | 42.9% |
| Not important | 60 | 45.1% |
Have you attended a UKUUG Linux Technical Conference in the last 2 years?
134 people answered this question.
| Yes | 50 | 37.3% |
| No | 84 | 62.7% |
If you answered no to the previous question, why not?
84 people answered this question.
| Lack of time | 45 | 53.6% |
| Inconvenient location | 21 | 25.0% |
| Other | 14 | 16.7% |
| Inconvenient date | 12 | 14.3% |
| Subject matter not of interest | 9 | 10.7% |
| Too expensive | 4 | 4.8% |
Should UKUUG continue to organize an annual Linux Technical Conference?
133 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 76 | 57.1% |
| Probably | 46 | 34.6% |
| Don't know | 11 | 8.3% |
| Probably not | 0 | 0.0% |
| Definitely not | 0 | 0.0% |
Have you attended a UKUUG LISA/Winter Conference in the last 2 years?
132 people answered this question.
| Yes | 35 | 26.5% |
| No | 97 | 73.5% |
If you answered no to the previous question, why not?
98 people answered this question.
| Lack of time | 56 | 57.1% |
| Inconvenient location | 21 | 21.4% |
| Subject matter not of interest | 20 | 20.4% |
| Inconvenient date | 18 | 18.4% |
| Other | 14 | 14.3% |
| Too expensive | 4 | 4.1% |
Should UKUUG continue to organize an annual LISA/Winter conference?
133 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 51 | 38.3% |
| Probably | 60 | 45.1% |
| Don't know | 20 | 15.0% |
| Probably not | 2 | 1.5% |
| Definitely not | 0 | 0.0% |
What topics would you like to see covered at future UKUUG conferences?
133 people answered this question.
| Network security | 97 | 72.9% |
| Operating-system security | 96 | 72.2% |
| Linux Desktop | 75 | 56.4% |
| Migrating to open source/open standards | 75 | 56.4% |
| Linux Kernel | 72 | 54.1% |
| Forensics | 68 | 51.1% |
| Configuration management | 68 | 51.1% |
| High availability | 65 | 48.9% |
| File systems | 64 | 48.1% |
| Databases | 60 | 45.1% |
| Commercial Unix (Solaris, AIX, etc.) | 54 | 40.6% |
| Kernel Internals | 51 | 38.3% |
| Perl | 50 | 37.6% |
| Office/productivity software | 46 | 34.6% |
| LAMP | 46 | 34.6% |
| GNOME | 42 | 31.6% |
| Python | 37 | 27.8% |
| FreeBSD | 36 | 27.1% |
| C programming | 34 | 25.6% |
| OpenBSD | 32 | 24.1% |
| KDE | 31 | 23.3% |
| NetBSD | 24 | 18.0% |
| Java | 23 | 17.3% |
| Ruby | 17 | 12.8% |
| Other | 15 | 11.3% |
Have you attended a UKUUG tutorial in the last 2 years?
134 people answered this question.
| Yes | 47 | 35.1% |
| No | 87 | 64.9% |
If you answered no to the previous question, why not?
85 people answered this question.
| Lack of time | 47 | 55.3% |
| Subject matter not of interest | 17 | 20.0% |
| Other | 16 | 18.8% |
| Inconvenient location | 13 | 15.3% |
| Inconvenient date | 11 | 12.9% |
| Too expensive | 7 | 8.2% |
What subjects would you like to see covered by future UKUUG tutorials?
122 people answered this question.
| Operating-system security | 81 | 66.4% |
| Network security | 80 | 65.6% |
| Forensics | 63 | 51.6% |
| Configuration management | 55 | 45.1% |
| Linux Kernel | 54 | 44.3% |
| High availability | 52 | 42.6% |
| File systems | 49 | 40.2% |
| Databases | 48 | 39.3% |
| Kernel Internals | 45 | 36.9% |
| Perl | 44 | 36.1% |
| Linux Desktop | 43 | 35.2% |
| DNS/BIND | 37 | 30.3% |
| GNOME | 34 | 27.9% |
| C programming | 34 | 27.9% |
| Python | 34 | 27.9% |
| Office/productivity software | 33 | 27.0% |
| Commercial Unix (Solaris, AIX, etc.) | 30 | 24.6% |
| LAMP | 30 | 24.6% |
| KDE | 24 | 19.7% |
| OpenBSD | 23 | 18.9% |
| FreeBSD | 23 | 18.9% |
| Java | 20 | 16.4% |
| NetBSD | 15 | 12.3% |
| Ruby | 15 | 12.3% |
| Other | 9 | 7.4% |
Should UKUUG work with local user groups to provide basic training and certification?
132 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 25 | 18.9% |
| Probably | 58 | 43.9% |
| Don't know | 38 | 28.8% |
| Probably not | 11 | 8.3% |
| Definitely not | 0 | 0.0% |
Should UKUUG take on a Government lobbying role?
133 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 44 | 33.1% |
| Probably | 57 | 42.9% |
| Don't know | 16 | 12.0% |
| Probably not | 16 | 12.0% |
| Definitely not | 0 | 0.0% |
Should UKUUG encourage its membership to take on an activist role in lobbying local/central Government?
134 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 36 | 26.9% |
| Probably | 52 | 38.8% |
| Don't know | 28 | 20.9% |
| Probably not | 17 | 12.7% |
| Definitely not | 1 | 0.7% |
Would you be willing to participate in such activism?
132 people answered this question.
| Yes | 73 | 55.3% |
| No | 59 | 44.7% |
Should UKUUG have a paid spokesperson/campaigns manager to oversee our lobbying and activism activities?
134 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 13 | 9.7% |
| Probably | 50 | 37.3% |
| Don't know | 46 | 34.3% |
| Probably not | 20 | 14.9% |
| Definitely not | 5 | 3.7% |
Would you be willing to pay an increased membership fee or donate to a campaign fund to cover this expense?
129 people answered this question.
| Yes | 80 | 62.0% |
| No | 49 | 38.0% |
Do you read the UKUUG newsletter?
134 people answered this question.
| Do not receive the newsletter | 3 | 2.2% |
| Do not read the newsletter | 2 | 1.5% |
| Read some articles in some issues | 18 | 13.4% |
| Read some articles in every issue | 52 | 38.8% |
| Read most articles in every issue | 59 | 44.0% |
Which sections of the newsletter do you consider most useful?
120 people answered this question.
| In-depth articles | 90 | 75.0% |
| Book reviews | 85 | 70.8% |
| News items | 52 | 43.3% |
| Announcements | 44 | 36.7% |
| Diary | 32 | 26.7% |
| Soap box | 21 | 17.5% |
| Other | 2 | 1.7% |
How many other people read your copy of the UKUUG newsletter?
129 people answered this question.
| Nobody | 84 | 65.1% |
| One other person | 28 | 21.7% |
| Two or three other people | 14 | 10.9% |
| More than three other people | 3 | 2.3% |
Should UKUUG continue to produce a printed newsletter?
134 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 41 | 30.6% |
| Probably | 50 | 37.3% |
| Don't know | 12 | 9.0% |
| Probably not | 28 | 20.9% |
| Definitely not | 3 | 2.2% |
Should the UKUUG newsletter move to online publication only?
134 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 9 | 6.7% |
| Probably | 46 | 34.3% |
| Don't know | 15 | 11.2% |
| Probably not | 47 | 35.1% |
| Definitely not | 17 | 12.7% |
Should UKUUG discontinue production of its own newsletter and include subscription to a third-party magazine for members?
134 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 1 | 0.7% |
| Probably | 12 | 9.0% |
| Don't know | 42 | 31.3% |
| Probably not | 50 | 37.3% |
| Definitely not | 29 | 21.6% |
Should UKUUG produce white papers on topical subjects in free and open source software?
133 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 45 | 33.8% |
| Probably | 74 | 55.6% |
| Don't know | 13 | 9.8% |
| Probably not | 1 | 0.8% |
| Definitely not | 0 | 0.0% |
Should UKUUG produce informative leaflets for distribution at trade fairs, local user groups, etc.
133 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 40 | 30.1% |
| Probably | 72 | 54.1% |
| Don't know | 17 | 12.8% |
| Probably not | 4 | 3.0% |
| Definitely not | 0 | 0.0% |
Should UKUUG attempt to negotiate member discounts with software vendors (RedHat, Novell, etc.)?
133 people answered this question.
| Definitely | 29 | 21.8% |
| Probably | 54 | 40.6% |
| Don't know | 27 | 20.3% |
| Probably not | 21 | 15.8% |
| Definitely not | 2 | 1.5% |
I am a service provider or software/hardware vendor and might be interested in providing discounts to UKUUG members:
126 people answered this question.
| Yes | 6 | 4.8% |
| No | 120 | 95.2% |
Special interest groups (SIGs) provide mailing lists and a forum for members to meet and discuss areas of particular interest. Please indicate below if you would like to join (or coordinate) a special interest group:
87 people answered this question.
| Linux | 57 | 65.5% |
| BSD | 18 | 20.7% |
| Apple | 19 | 21.8% |
| Systems Administration | 57 | 65.5% |
| Other | 9 | 10.3% |
UKUUG is governed by an elected Council of management, but much of the day-to-day running of the organization is facilitated by working groups. Please indicate below if you would like to participate in any UKUUG working groups:
34 people answered this question.
| Events (general) | 14 | 41.2% |
| Linux Technical Conference | 13 | 38.2% |
| Newsletter | 11 | 32.4% |
| Membership and Marketing | 8 | 23.5% |
| LISA/Winter Conference | 7 | 20.6% |
| Schools | 7 | 20.6% |
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