Study of Ubuntu Use - help needed

[bstockwell]

I am applying for some funding from my school (Miami) to do some research to help determine the current usability of Ubuntu (and other open source projects) and measure the feasability of it becoming a commonly used OS for everyone, not just a computer science major.

I've been using ubuntu rather exclusively for over 6 months now and have invested myself in the project. I want to see the entire linux project move forward, but I'm not sure how that can happen. The current marketing efforts have spread the word, but they seem to taget a narrow demographic, this is why I want to conuct his research. To provide the community with some empirical (and holistic) data so they can use it to better the product.

I was wondering if anyone had heard of similar projects occuring in the past. I think that most use of open source projects has come from fellows like me who hear about it through the grapevine and then used the project later.

Also, as sort of a precurser to the project, I suppose I'm also interested in how you happened upon Linux in general. How about Ubuntu? What disciplines do you work in? Which are interested in? What other open source project do you use?

Thanks for the help, If I do get funding I'll be sure to tell you guys what I find out (the project would end in June 2009, a report is due in July)

[zerhacke]

Also, as sort of a precurser to the project, I suppose I'm also interested in how you happened upon Linux in general. How about Ubuntu? What disciplines do you work in? Which are interested in? What other open source project do you use?

Linux in general: I've used UNIX for many many years. Then along came a guy called Linus Torvalds who put out a kernel for i386 machines, and I happened to have an i386 at my house. I made the switch even before Stallman was finished with the GNU utilities. I remember having to have my cousin go into the computer lab at his college and compile things for me, then send them back to me on floppies.

The real reason I got in on Linux before version 1.0 was because I couldn't afford to buy the upgrades Microsoft was doing with DOS. Have not looked back since... I run and have ran a Linux system since then.

Ubuntu: I've always loved what Debian was doing and i really love the apt toolset. Life without a package manager is not the greatest. I had been running either Debian or Red Hat but wanted to get away from Red Hat due to a lack of a package manager when a friend told me this startup company was refining Debian. I migrated my Red Hat server and two laptops from Red Hat 9 to Warty Ubuntu within a week I still run one Debian Sarge laptop but every other Linux system I manage now runs Ubuntu.

Disciplines: I'm not sure what you mean here. Please elaborate.

My Interests: Linux takes up a lot of my time. At my level of involvement, It's not just a hobby, it's a lifestyle. I also enjoy hiking, swimming, reading especially sci fi, and I am also a licensed HAM radio operator - callsign is KD8GWM. I hang around 2 meter a lot if you understand what I am saying.

Other Open Source Projects: If there's a CMS for me, it's PostNuke.

[bstockwell]

Disciplines: I'm not sure what you mean here. Please elaborate.

Say I have a job as a programmer with Dell I would say: computers, C++ etc

Thanks for the input