MIT AC Student Computing Questionnaire

# MIT Student Computing Questionnaire

To help Academic Computing with planning future enhancements and modifications of the student computing environment at MIT, we would appreciate your answering the following 15 questions. In giving your answers, especially those concerning your general use of Quickstations, Athena clusters, and personal computers, think about how you have made use of computing during the past month. Do NOT think back over your entire career at MIT. We are interested in getting a snapshot of how students do their computing at MIT at the present time.

We are noting the IP address from which this form is sent so that we can filter out replies sent from outside MIT, and this information will be discarded before the data is analyzed. As this is an otherwise anonymous survey and we are not collecting names, we would appreciate your answering it once and only once.

In giving your answers think about how you have made use of computing during the past month.

1. What is your status as an MIT student?

> Class of 2001
> Class of 2000
> Class of 1999
> Class of 1998
> Graduate student
> other

2. What is your major? (Course number, or 0 if undesignated)

3. Where do you live?

> MIT dormitory
> ILG
> other

4a. Do you own a personal computer at school? YesNo
4b. Do you own a printer to go with this computer? YesNo
4c. Is your computer connected to an MITnet drop? YesNo
(If you do not own a personal computer, skip to question 11)

5. If you do own a personal computer, what kind is it?

> First machine:

> > a. Desktop Laptop
> > b. Intel/PC (including PC running Linux or other UNIX OS)
> > Macintosh or Mac clone
> > UNIX workstation (e.g. Sun, SGI, HP, Digital, ...)

> Second machine (if any):

> > a. Desktop Laptop
> > b. Intel/PC (including PC running Linux or other UNIX OS)
> > Macintosh or Mac clone
> > UNIX workstation (e.g. Sun, SGI, HP, Digital, ...)

6. If an Intel/PC, what operating system (or systems) are you running? (you may select more than one if that describes your case)

> First machine:

> > Windows3.1
> > Windows95
> > WindowsNT
> > Linux or other UNIX operating system

> Second machine (if any):

> > Windows3.1
> > Windows95
> > WindowsNT
> > Linux or other UNIX operating system

7. What precise model is it? (e.g. processor and speed)

> First machine:
> Desktop computer
> Laptop computer
> Second machine (if any):
> Desktop computer
> Laptop computer

8. During the past month, approximately how many hours per week did you use your personal computer(s)?

9. During the past month, what are the three types of activities that you did most often on your personal computer(s)?

> read and send email
> browse the Web for leisure
> other communication activities (discuss, Zephyr, etc)
> use the Web for classwork
> use on-line databases (including Barton and library resources)
> group projects for MIT subjects
> problem sets, programming, simulations, and other homework assignments for MIT subjects
> write papers (other than thesis)
> research for your thesis
> write your thesis
> other

10a. Where do you read email?

> Only in Athena clusters
> Mostly in Athena clusters
> About half and half
> Mostly on my own computer
> Only on my own computer
> Only or mostly elsewhere (e.g. lab, office, etc)

10b. If you read mail at all on your personal computer, do you primarily use:

> Eudora
> telnet to Athena dialup
> Netscape mail
> other

10c. If you read mail both in Athena clusters and on your personal computer, where do you store your mail? Athena personal computer

11. How often do you use Quickstations for short logins while on campus?

> often (a few times a week)
> sometimes (once a week or less)
> never

12.During the past month, about how often did you use an Athena Cluster (not a Quickstation)?
On average, sessions per week for a total of hours per week.

13. What are the three types of activities that you have done most often in Athena clusters during the past month?

> read and send email
> browse the Web for leisure
> other communication cluster-activities (discuss, Zephyr, etc)
> use the Web for classwork
> use on-line databases (including Barton and library resources)
> group projects for MIT subjects
> problem sets, programming, simulations, and other homework assignments for MIT subjects
> write papers (other than thesis)
> research for my thesis
> write my thesis
> other (please specify )

14. What are the three software packages (other than emacs, mail readers, Zephyr, or Web browsers) that you have used most often in Athena clusters during the past month?

> Matlab
> Maple
> Framemaker
> AutoCAD
> C, C++, Java, and other programming languages
> SAS
> Xess
> Aspen
> Biosym, Molecular Simulations, Quanta, Charm
> Alias/Wavefront
> other (please specify )
> none of the above

15. If space were available in your dorm or ILG outside of your room for you to connect your own personal computer to MITnet, would you use it?

> yes
> no
> unsure

Please add any other comments that may be relevant to personally owned or Athena cluster computing.

You may when done, or if you want to start over.

Questions or comments about this survey can be sent to support-acs@mit.edu