OS/2 e-Zine! - April '97 Reader Survey Results

April '97 Reader Survey Results

What did we learn from last month's OS/2 e-Zine! Reader Survey? Plenty!

Last month we asked, "How long have you used OS/2?" As usual, our survey revealed some expected and some surprising information about our readers and their dedication to OS/2.

Answers to our survey were accepted from April 16th until May 13th and any duplicate, incomplete or mangled e-mails were discarded. We had a total of 3,225 readers send us valid replies to our questionnaire. The results were as follows:

How long have you been using OS/2?

The first thing we found this month is that most of our readers are long time OS/2 users. In fact, only 3.1% of people responding to our April survey had started using OS/2 in the past year, with another 7.9% starting between one and two years ago. The rest of our readers were evenly distributed based on their date of first using OS/2 with the largest category being those that have been OS/2ers for more than five years (26.9%).

What was your first version of OS/2?

Not surprisingly (considering the length of time our readers have been dedicated to the world's best 32-bit OS), the first version of OS/2 the majority of our readers ever installed was v2.x (not including v2.x SMP) -- a whopping 51.9% of them! A little more than half that many (27.7%) told us that Warp 3.0 was the first version of OS/2 they ever used. No readers responded that Warp Server or Warp Server SMP was their first version.

How long will you continue to use OS/2?

Our final question last month generated a lot of feedback. Many people wanted us to include answers like "forever!" or "until they pry it from my cold dead hands!" We actually considered these answers (or some like them) when constructing the survey but decided it was better to leave the choices 'unemotional'. <g>

Guessing the answers our readers gave to this question is a no-brainer. An overwhelming majority (65.6%) answered that they would be using OS/2 for more than the next two years -- a lifetime in the computer industry. The next most popular answer to this question was "Don't know" (30.0%) indicating that many of our readers have either never given this question much thought or that they believe the industry is too unpredictable to even hazard a guess. Of 3,225 readers though, only 4.4% told us that they would cease using OS/2 some time in the coming 24 months. Our readers know a good OS when they use it!

Don't forget to fill out our questionnaire this month (it's on the next page) and check back in June for complete results!

Complete April '97 Survey Results

How long have you been using OS/2?

Category Count Percentage

1 - 6 months 46 1.4%

7 - 12 months 53 1.6%

More than 1 year, less than 2 years 256 7.9%

More than 2 years, less than 3 years 713 22.1%

More than 3 years, less than 4 years 665 20.6%

More than 4 years, less than 5 years 626 19.4%

More than 5 years 866 26.9%

TOTAL 3,225 99.9%

Note: the missing 0.1% is due to rounding errors.

What was your first version of OS/2?

Category Count Percentage

1.x 552 17.1%

2.x 1,674 51.9%

2.x SMP 6 0.2%

Warp 3.0 894 27.7%

Warp Connect 46 1.4%

Warp 4.0 53 1.6%

Warp Server 0 0.0%

Warp Server SMP 0 0.0%

TOTAL 3,225 99.9%

Note: the missing 0.1% is due to rounding errors.
How long will you continue to use OS/2?

Category Count Percentage

1 - 6 months 23 0.7%

7 - 12 months 20 0.6%

1 - 2 years 101 3.1%

More than 2 years 2,115 65.6%

Don't know 966 30.0%

TOTAL 3,225 100.0%

Category	Count	Percentage
1 - 6 months	46	1.4%
7 - 12 months	53	1.6%
More than 1 year, less than 2 years	256	7.9%
More than 2 years, less than 3 years	713	22.1%
More than 3 years, less than 4 years	665	20.6%
More than 4 years, less than 5 years	626	19.4%
More than 5 years	866	26.9%

TOTAL	3,225	99.9%

[Our Sponsor: Mensys - The one place to go in Europe for all OS/2 Warp software.]

This page is maintained by Falcon Networking. We welcome your suggestions.