Network Operators and Open Source Software Study







Complete Survey and Results

Leslie Daigle

December 2020









 

This document is one subsection of the Network Operators and Open Source Software project report.   Full report available from https://possie.techark.org/

Survey Mechanics and Full Results


Detailed Survey Report

The following sections outline the background and detailed results from the Operator Open Source Software Survey.  



Survey Mechanics

Starting from the premise that this was an information-gathering exercise, as opposed to a rigorous information science study, the questionnaire was set up to capture as much information as possible.  Respondents self-declared demographic information and were often asked to select “all that apply” for informational questions.  

The questionnaire was offered using Google Forms, not requiring personal identification of respondents.  The first choice respondents had to make was whether to fill out the “Individual Contributor” (IC) survey or the “Decision Maker” (DM).  Several questions overlapped, but it was logistically unwieldy to create one survey that would fit both.  It would have meant too many questions outright, several of which were not applicable to one or other group.  In fact, respondents to either form were invited to fill out the other, if applicable, but it’s not clear that anyone did.  

Advertising

Advertising of the survey project started with a lightning talk at NANOG 76 in Washington, DC, in June 2019.  People were pointed at the webpage, which said the survey was “coming soon”.   Subsequent advertising was limited to social media (my own, and then boosts from friends who are much more influential in social media space!), a brief talk at the RIPE Open Source WG in Rotterdam in October 2019, and a posting on the NANOG mailing list.

All advertisements pointed to the https://possie.techark.org website, which got 260 views in October and November, 180 of which included viewing the survey introduction/links page on the site.

Responses

With that, the survey ran from mid-October 2019 to the end of November 2019, and the final tally of responses exceeded project targets,[1] receiving a total of 48 responses:

Contrary to advice that no one would fill out a survey form without prizes being offered, no prize was offered.  From informal conversations, it seems that people were genuinely interested in the outcome of the survey, and therefore willing to contribute their thoughts.

(Potential) contexts or biases

Although the survey did not collect geographic information from respondents, it is clear from the identity of those who opted to share contact information that responses were collected from (at least) North America and Europe.

Respondents self-selected to provide answers, so it’s clear that all respondents have at least some interest in OSS for their environment.  The perspective shared can help paint a picture of what does and doesn’t work for such a population.  The collected responses don’t, however, provide detailed insight into why operators may not be interested in or think of OSS at all.  



Individual Contributor Survey Results

POSSIE Open Source Survey -- for individual contributors

This survey is gathering information about attractions and impediments to using, contributing to, and financially supporting Open Source Software.

There is a separate survey that is focused more particularly on OSS managers and corporate decision makers (URL was provided).  Please complete whichever is more applicable, or both if you feel comfortable wearing either hat.

Background

This section covers some simple demographics and calibrating questions about your context.

1. You are (please check all that apply)


34 responses.

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-1


2. Speaking for your own professional experience, you (check all that apply)


34 responses

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Chart IndividualContributor-2


3. The company that employs you, including self employment (check all that apply)


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-3



Attractors

This section explores the general space of:  what makes Open Source Software attractive -- to use and/or contribute to.

Please note that the questions come in pairs -- asking about your experiences with specific projects, and then with OSS projects in general.


4. If you were interested in a particular OSS tool, and all other things being equal, which of the following would you consider significant attractions to using the OSS tool


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-4


5. Which of the following describe your organization’s major attraction to using (existing) OSS tools? Select all that apply


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-5


6. All other things being equal, what attracts you to contributing  to a specific OSS project (please select all that are most applicable)


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-6



7. Your purpose(s) in contributing to OSS projects includes (please select all that apply)


32 responses

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Chart IndividualContributor-7


Impediments

This section explores the general space of:  what impediments prevent or discourage using and/or contributing to Open Source Software.

Please note that the questions come in pairs -- asking about your experiences with specific projects, and then with OSS projects in general.


8. If you were interested in a particular OSS tool, and all other things being equal, which of the following would you consider significant impediments to using the OSS tool


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-8


9. Which of the following describe your major impediments to using (existing) OSS tools? Select all that apply


31 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-9


10. If you were interested in a particular OSS project, and all other things being equal, which of the following would you consider significant impediments to contributing to the project (please select all that apply)


34 responses

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Chart IndividualContributor-10


11. What impediments do you face in contributing to OSS projects (please select all that apply)


33 responses

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Chart IndividualContributor-11


Requirements

This section explores any requirements  you or your organization has for engaging in OSS projects.

12. What licensing requirements does your organization have for using OSS (Please pick the option that most closely matches your situation)?


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-12


13. What licensing requirements does your organization have for contributing code/coding resources to OSS (Please pick the option that most closely matches your situation)?


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-13


14. What other (than licensing) requirements do you or your organization have for using OSS tools? These will be interpreted as impediments, or reasons not to use OSS, if the requirements can’t be met (Please select all that apply)


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-14


15. What other requirements do you or your organization have for contributing to OSS projects (select all that apply)


32 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-15


Experiences

This section explores your, and your organization's, experiences in using and contributing to open source software.

16. Overall, which of the following best describe your experience in contributing to OSS projects (please select all that you feel strongly about)


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-16


17. My experience in using OSS is best described by the following (please select all that are generally applicable)


34 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-17


OSS in the Organizational Context

This section explores how OSS fits in to your organization's business workflow.

18. There is internal coordination at your organization to (please select all that apply)


16 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-18


OSS Project Gaps

This section probes the types of OSS projects of interest to you/your organization that  you feel are currently underrepresented in the OSS landscape.

19. What problem areas are you interested in seeing addressed by (as yet non-extant) open source software (check all that apply)


33 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-19


20.  Which of the following could solve an operations-critical problem for you today, if you could get an OSS package for it


33 responses

Image

Chart IndividualContributor-20


21. Which of the following would you be interested in contributing to build


34 responses

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Chart IndividualContributor-21


Composite views of Individual Contributor Perceptions of Gaps, Critical Gaps, and WIllingness to contribute

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Chart IndividualContributor-22


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Chart IndividualContributor-23


Full report available at https://possie.techark.org

 



Decision Maker Survey Results

POSSIE Open Source Survey -- for OSS decision makers

This survey is gathering information about attractions and impediments to using, contributing to, and financially supporting Open Source Software.

There is a separate survey that is focused more particularly on individual contributors to OSS  (URL was provided).  Please complete whichever is more applicable, or both if you feel comfortable wearing either hat.

Background

This section covers some simple demographics and calibrating questions about your context.

1. You are (please check all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-1


2. Speaking for your own professional experience in managing technical resources/software implementation (check all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-2


3. Speaking for your own professional experience, how often do you use open source software in your infrastructure for each of the following functions?

Functions:


Rating for each function (choice):

14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-3


4. The company that employs you, including self employment (check all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-4


Attractors

This section explores the general space of:  what makes Open Source Software attractive -- to use, contribute to, and/or support financially.

Please note that the questions come in pairs -- asking about your experiences with specific projects, and then with OSS projects in general.


5. If you were interested in a particular OSS tool, and all other things being equal, which of the following would you consider significant attractions to using the OSS tool


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-5


6. Which of the following describe your organization’s major attraction to using (existing) OSS tools? Select all that apply


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-6


7. All other things being equal, what attracts you to contributing engineering time to a specific OSS project (please select all that are most applicable)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-7


8. The organization’s purpose(s) in contributing engineering time to OSS projects includes (please select all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-8


9. The organization has provided financial support to specific OSS development projects/platforms because (please select all that apply)


13 responses

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Chart DecisionMaker-9


10. The organization has generally provided financial support to OSS development projects/platforms because (please select all that apply)


12 responses

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Chart DecisionMaker-10


Impediments

This section explores the general space of:  what impediments prevent or discourage using, contributing to, and/or providing financial support to Open Source Software.

Please note that the questions come in pairs -- asking about your experiences with specific projects, and then with OSS projects in general.


11. If you were interested in a particular OSS tool, and all other things being equal, which of the following would you consider significant impediments to using the OSS tool


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-11



12. Which of the following describe your major impediments to using (existing) OSS tools? Select all that apply


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-12


13. If you were interested in a particular OSS project, and all other things being equal, which of the following would you consider significant impediments to contributing staff time to the project (please select all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-13


14. What impediments do you face in contributing engineering resources to OSS projects (please select all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-14


15. Your decision not to (financially) support a particular OSS project is based on (select all that apply)


12 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-15


16. You don’t support OSS (financially), in general, because (please select all that apply)


10 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-16


Requirements

This section explores any requirements your organization has for engaging in OSS projects.


17.  What licensing requirements does your organization have for using OSS (Please pick the option that most closely matches your situation)?


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-17


18. What licensing requirements does your organization have for contributing code/coding resources to OSS (Please pick the option that most closely matches your situation)?


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-18


19.  What other (than licensing) requirements does your organization have for using OSS tools? These will be interpreted as impediments, or reasons not to use OSS, if the requirements can’t be met (Please select all that apply)


13 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-19


20. What other requirements does your organization have for contributing coding resources to OSS projects (select all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-20


Experiences

This section explores your, and your organization's, experiences in using and contributing to open source software.


21. Overall, which of the following best describe your experience in contributing staff resources and/or money to OSS projects (please select all that you feel strongly about)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-21


22.  In supporting OSS projects, which of the following best describe your organization’s experiences (please select all that are generally applicable)


13 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-22


23.  My organization’s experience in using OSS is best described by the following (please select all that are generally applicable)


12 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-23


OSS in the Organizational Context

This section explores how OSS fits in to your organization's business workflow.


24.  There is internal coordination at your organization to (please select all that apply)


12 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-24


OSS Project Gaps

This section probes the types of OSS projects of interest to you/your organization that  you feel are currently underrepresented in the OSS landscape.


25. What problem areas are you interested in seeing addressed by (as yet non-extant) open source software (check all that apply)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-25


26.  Which of the following could solve an operations-critical problem for you today, if you could get an OSS package for it. 

(Single choice allowed)


14 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-26


27.  Which of the following would you be interested in supporting (staff resources and or finances) to build


13 responses

Image

Chart DecisionMaker-27



Full report available at https://possie.techark.org

 






Leslie Daigle

December 2020

Full report available from https://possie.techark.org/



[1] The project target was 12 - 20 responses, total.