From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_DATE autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,5d125ec1d17ebeaf X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1994-11-12 00:06:08 PST Path: nntp.gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uunet!gwu.edu!gwu.edu!not-for-mail From: mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman) Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Corruption in Ada9x office - suppression of Ada survey results Date: 11 Nov 1994 17:59:49 -0500 Organization: George Washington University Message-ID: <3a0t15$bmm@felix.seas.gwu.edu> References: <1994Nov7.134022.12961@sei.cmu.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.164.9.3 Date: 1994-11-11T17:59:49-05:00 List-Id: In article <1994Nov7.134022.12961@sei.cmu.edu>, Robert Firth wrote: >If I volunteered to take part in a survey, and then found that my >name and telephone number were being peddled to every salescritter >who wanted to make my life a misery with unsolicited junk telemarketing >calls, I'd be very, very angry. Congratulations to the Ada people for >their resolute defence of individual privacy and of the honesty of >their survey. When I spoke to some folks about this, they said that a _trade association_ would normally commission such a marketing survey. Also, they said that from their experience with trade associations, a _marketing_ survey produces trends, opinions, perceptions, etc., NOT sales leads, and that the raw data would, in general, NOT be released, even to members of the association, for exactly the reasons Robert outlined above. The idea in a survey like this is to get decision makers in companies to give their perceptions and feelings and thoughts in confidence, with assurance that only aggregated data will be released. The irony of the Ada business is that the _business_ part of the community should not be depending on Uncle Sam to do its marketing. The Ada Resource Association was launched at TRI-Ada as a trade association intended to encompass more than just the compiler vendors. Robert Mathis was announced as the Executive Director. Let's all hope that ARA gets lots of dues-paying members - even individuals can sign up for a few bucks - and enough money to start doing the kind of industry-wide marketing a good trade association should do. IMHO, Uncle Sam should get out of the marketing business. DoD's job is to provide for the common defense, not play the role of a trade association or venture capitalist. Mike Feldman ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael B. Feldman - chair, SIGAda Education Working Group Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science The George Washington University - Washington, DC 20052 USA 202-994-5919 (voice) - 202-994-0227 (fax) - mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Internet) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ada on the World-Wide Web: http://lglwww.epfl.ch/Ada/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Non illegitimi carborundum." (Don't let the bastards grind you down.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------