Survey Blender
I think it is important for the Blender Team to consider using a form for each stable release of blender.
Collecting data is essential to help the development team to have a horizon of how far they have come and where they are going together with the community.
Besides this data could help to apply for funding from governments or companies.
What do you think?
7 Comments
Doesn't this assume that there are developers already available to develop those features. Blender should never collect data on usage, this is one of the core principles of blender. We also don't want to increate the complexity of our infrastructure due to storing user data on a central environment.
Part of why people use Blender instead of other tools is for not being bombarded with data surveys or being victim of hidden data collection. Not having to give your personal information or any kind of data to be able to use the software.
If you put such a survey between the users and the download button, you can be sure people will not be happy.
Besides, in your example, why would the devs need my names, company, country and birthdate? They make a 3DCC software, not a tax calculator.
And having a voting system for a selection of feature already means "someone" already made a choice before the users did. How can this be representative of the user base's opinion?
The BF can already make surveys on social media whenever they want, they can ask people to exchange opinions on a given subject on devtalk like they did in the past.
Good decisions are made based on statistics, so you don't walk blindly.
It is just a guide of what kind of users you have, in what age range they are, in what areas in the world is having more relevance the use of Blender.
The statistics are very useful as for example in such a country has increased the community we need a bigger download server for those users. Or maybe in such version there was an increase of users thanks to the incorporation of Grease Pencil.
The Right Click Select Community itself is based on a voting system that generates statistics.
Everything that has been created around it is based on statistics, it is not a tax calculator.
Statistics is an important tool in the research process, since it allows to plan, collect, organize, represent, interpret and analyze information about individuals or observations of a phenomenon to which common characteristics are studied, in a population or in a sample.
And in order to have statistics, a survey of its users is needed.
I guess Blender was a bad decision then
Your answer is very ambiguous. The first goal of the Blender Foundation was to find a way to continue the development and promotion of Blender as an open source project based on the user community.
I would imagine that Tom did a little research on the number (statistics) of Blender users to continue its development.
From 1994 to the present the community has grown so much and has crossed borders.
Don't you think it is important that it is reflected in the history books how Blender and its community is transforming?
This can only be achieved by keeping statistics and the most agile way is through a survey.
Again statistics are tools that help to progress.
Principles and treating your users like human beings instead of marketing 'targets' are more important than any form of 'progress'.
Collecting data could get the same consequances of Audacity.