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Operating System Survey

The purpose of this survey is to find out how a broad sample of computer managers and software developers feel about the most commonly encountered operating systems. In particular, the survey is an attempt to measure how these end users feel about the operating systems as a whole, the manufacturers who produce them, and the value of certain features or qualities that operating systems possess (to varying degrees). Hopefully this information will be generally interesting, and possibly useful, to a large number of people.

A summary of the responses will be posted when enough people have answered. This survey may be placed on other sites, including manufacturers' sites, so long as it is not modified in any way. Since the survey is very large, a ZIP'd version is also available. It will help to make the survey more complete if you encourage any managers you know to submit their own responses. If you have any questions, please send email. Not all of the questions are relevant for every operating system - you don't need to write to say that. Please do not send any comments about the operating systems themselves, but comments about the survey itself are welcome.

Please only complete this form if you support at least 25 users on at least one of these operating systems and you are not currently working for one of the companies that produce or distribute these operating systems.

You need not answer every question - any default values encountered will be ignored. The questions contained in this survey are:

The raw data will not be released without first stripping off the email addresses. Submissions without email addresses will be rejected.

Please base your responses on the dominant hardware platform for those operating systems that run on more than one type of machine.

WARNING! Do not submit this survey from any browser which formats this document incorrectly, as it may not transmit all of your answers. If this page looks in any way misformatted, please use a different browser.

Your email address
Your site's type of work

Number of years you have used each Operating System 0 to 50
003 AIX
004 DG/UX
005 Digital Unix
006 HP-UX
007 Irix
008 Linux
009 Macintosh
010 MPE
011 MVS
012 NetWare
013 NonStop-UX
014 OpenVMS
015 OS/2
016 OS/400
017 Solaris
018 UnixWare
019 Windows95
020 Windows NT

Number of years you have managed each Operating System 0 to 50
021 AIX
022 DG/UX
023 Digital Unix
024 HP-UX
025 Irix
026 Linux
027 Macintosh
028 MPE
029 MVS
030 NetWare
031 NonStop-UX
032 OpenVMS
033 OS/2
034 OS/400
035 Solaris
036 UnixWare
037 Windows95
038 Windows NT

Number of machines that you support on each Operating System 0 to 10000
039 AIX
040 DG/UX
041 Digital Unix
042 HP-UX
043 Irix
044 Linux
045 Macintosh
046 MPE
047 MVS
048 NetWare
049 NonStop-UX
050 OpenVMS
051 OS/2
052 OS/400
053 Solaris
054 UnixWare
055 Windows95
056 Windows NT

Number of people that you support on each Operating System 0 to 99999
057 AIX
058 DG/UX
059 Digital Unix
060 HP-UX
061 Irix
062 Linux
063 Macintosh
064 MPE
065 MVS
066 NetWare
067 NonStop-UX
068 OpenVMS
069 OS/2
070 OS/400
071 Solaris
072 UnixWare
073 Windows95
074 Windows NT

Operating System Quality Weight for reliability, security, and scalability
075 AIX
076 DG/UX
077 Digital Unix
078 HP-UX
079 Irix
080 Linux
081 Macintosh
082 MPE
083 MVS
084 NetWare
085 NonStop-UX
086 OpenVMS
087 OS/2
088 OS/400
089 Solaris
090 UnixWare
091 Windows95
092 Windows NT

Operating System Manageability Take into account routine management tasks, initial system set up, and typical recovery actions (as for a disk failure.) Consider how easy it is to learn, and to perform, these tasks, and also how many man-hours must typically be spent doing them.
093 AIX
094 DG/UX
095 Digital Unix
096 HP-UX
097 Irix
098 Linux
099 Macintosh
100 MPE
101 MVS
102 NetWare
103 NonStop-UX
104 OpenVMS
105 OS/2
106 OS/400
107 Solaris
108 UnixWare
109 Windows95
110 Windows NT

Operating System Flexibility Weight for the number of hardware devices, network services, and network protocols which are supported.
111 AIX
112 DG/UX
113 Digital Unix
114 HP-UX
115 Irix
116 Linux
117 Macintosh
118 MPE
119 MVS
120 NetWare
121 NonStop-UX
122 OpenVMS
123 OS/2
124 OS/400
125 Solaris
126 UnixWare
127 Windows95
128 Windows NT

Operating System value to you, Workstation Assume that a "unit" workstation exists, it costs $2000, and the performance is the same regardless of operating system. What is the most you would be willing to pay in whole dollars to put each operating system onto that machine? (The price includes whatever extra pieces may be required to achieve approximate functional parity with Windows NT client.) Example, if you entered $200 for "SomeOS", it means that you would be willing to pay up to $2200 for that workstation with "SomeOS", but you would not be willing to pay $2201. Blank fields will be ignored, valid values are 0 to 5000
129 AIX $
130 DG/UX $
131 Digital Unix $
132 HP-UX $
133 Irix $
134 Linux $
135 Macintosh $
136 MPE $
137 MVS $
138 NetWare $
139 NonStop-UX $
140 OpenVMS $
141 OS/2 $
142 OS/400 $
143 Solaris $
144 UnixWare $
145 Windows95 $
146 Windows NT $

Operating System value to you, Small Server Assume that a "unit" server exists, it costs $20000, and the performance is the same regardless of operating system. How much more in whole dollars would you be willing to pay to put each operating system onto that machine? (The price includes whatever extra pieces may be required to achieve approximate functional parity with Windows NT server.) Example, if you entered $2000 for "SomeOS", it means that you would be willing to pay up to $22000 for that workstation with "SomeOS", but you would not be willing to pay $22001. Blank fields will be ignored, valid values are 0 to 50000
147 AIX $
148 DG/UX $
149 Digital Unix $
150 HP-UX $
151 Irix $
152 Linux $
153 Macintosh $
154 MPE $
155 MVS $
156 NetWare $
157 NonStop-UX $
158 OpenVMS $
159 OS/2 $
160 OS/400 $
161 Solaris $
162 UnixWare $
163 Windows95 $
164 Windows NT $

Operating System value to you, Large Server Assume that a "unit" server exists, it costs $200000, and the performance is the same regardless of operating system. How much more in whole dollars would you be willing to pay to put each operating system onto that machine? (The price includes whatever extra pieces may be required to achieve approximate functional parity with Windows NT server.) Example, if you entered $20000 for "SomeOS", it means that you would be willing to pay up to $220000 for that workstation with "SomeOS", but you would not be willing to pay $220001. Blank fields will be ignored, valid values are 0 to 500000
165 AIX $
166 DG/UX $
167 Digital Unix $
168 HP-UX $
169 Irix $
170 Linux $
171 Macintosh $
172 MPE $
173 MVS $
174 NetWare $
175 NonStop-UX $
176 OpenVMS $
177 OS/2 $
178 OS/400 $
179 Solaris $
180 UnixWare $
181 Windows95 $
182 Windows NT $

Desirability of Operating System on an existing entry level workstation For use at your site, in your work, rate the overall desirability of a new, existing model entry level workstation with this operating system. Factor in current prices for a real (not "unit") entry level workstation, and existing software prices, availability, quality, and value, as well as expected management and maintenance costs.
183 AIX
184 DG/UX
185 Digital Unix
186 HP-UX
187 Irix
188 Linux
189 Macintosh
190 MPE
191 MVS
192 NetWare
193 NonStop-UX
194 OpenVMS
195 OS/2
196 OS/400
197 Solaris
198 UnixWare
199 Windows95
200 Windows NT

Desirability of Operating System on an existing small server For use at your site, in your work, rate the overall desirability of a new, existing model small server with this operating system. Factor in current prices for a real (not "unit") small server, and existing software prices, availability, quality, and value, as well as expected management and maintenance costs.
201 AIX
202 DG/UX
203 Digital Unix
204 HP-UX
205 Irix
206 Linux
207 Macintosh
208 MPE
209 MVS
210 NetWare
211 NonStop-UX
212 OpenVMS
213 OS/2
214 OS/400
215 Solaris
216 UnixWare
217 Windows95
218 Windows NT

Desirability of Operating System on an existing large server For use at your site, in your work, rate the overall desirability of a new, existing model large server with this operating system. Factor in current prices for a real (not "unit") large server, and existing software prices, availability, quality, and value, as well as expected management and maintenance costs.
219 AIX
220 DG/UX
221 Digital Unix
222 HP-UX
223 Irix
224 Linux
225 Macintosh
226 MPE
227 MVS
228 NetWare
229 NonStop-UX
230 OpenVMS
231 OS/2
232 OS/400
233 Solaris
234 UnixWare
235 Windows95
236 Windows NT

Software Availability, Personal Are there word processors, spreadsheets, drawing, etc.?
237 AIX
238 DG/UX
239 Digital Unix
240 HP-UX
241 Irix
242 Linux
243 Macintosh
244 MPE
245 MVS
246 NetWare
247 NonStop-UX
248 OpenVMS
249 OS/2
250 OS/400
251 Solaris
252 UnixWare
253 Windows95
254 Windows NT

Software Availability, Workgroup Are there small databases, web servers, groupware, scheduling, etc.?
255 AIX
256 DG/UX
257 Digital Unix
258 HP-UX
259 Irix
260 Linux
261 Macintosh
262 MPE
263 MVS
264 NetWare
265 NonStop-UX
266 OpenVMS
267 OS/2
268 OS/400
269 Solaris
270 UnixWare
271 Windows95
272 Windows NT

Software Availability, Enterprise Are there large databases,transaction processing, data mining,etc.?
273 AIX
274 DG/UX
275 Digital Unix
276 HP-UX
277 Irix
278 Linux
279 Macintosh
280 MPE
281 MVS
282 NetWare
283 NonStop-UX
284 OpenVMS
285 OS/2
286 OS/400
287 Solaris
288 UnixWare
289 Windows95
290 Windows NT

Software Quality, on average Software other than the Operating System itself.
291 AIX
292 DG/UX
293 Digital Unix
294 HP-UX
295 Irix
296 Linux
297 Macintosh
298 MPE
299 MVS
300 NetWare
301 NonStop-UX
302 OpenVMS
303 OS/2
304 OS/400
305 Solaris
306 UnixWare
307 Windows95
308 Windows NT

Software Value, on average Rate software that runs on the Operating System, but do not include the Operating System itself in your assessment. Value is Quality/Price. (Assume that the "price" of free software is the greater of $5 or the dollar value of your work in installing it.)
309 AIX
310 DG/UX
311 Digital Unix
312 HP-UX
313 Irix
314 Linux
315 Macintosh
316 MPE
317 MVS
318 NetWare
319 NonStop-UX
320 OpenVMS
321 OS/2
322 OS/400
323 Solaris
324 UnixWare
325 Windows95
326 Windows NT

Manufacturer's support How good a job do they do of fixing bugs, and helping you with configuration and related problems?
327 AIX
328 DG/UX
329 Digital Unix
330 HP-UX
331 Irix
332 Linux
333 Macintosh
334 MPE
335 MVS
336 NetWare
337 NonStop-UX
338 OpenVMS
339 OS/2
340 OS/400
341 Solaris
342 UnixWare
343 Windows95
344 Windows NT

Manufacturer's reliability Do they do what they say they will with respect to the development, pricing, and speed of operating system development? Is it safe to plan projects based on their public announcements? Is it safe to assume that needed operating system functions or other software will be shipping, properly maintained, still available, or still affordable?
345 AIX
346 DG/UX
347 Digital Unix
348 HP-UX
349 Irix
350 Linux
351 Macintosh
352 MPE
353 MVS
354 NetWare
355 NonStop-UX
356 OpenVMS
357 OS/2
358 OS/400
359 Solaris
360 UnixWare
361 Windows95
362 Windows NT

Manufacturer's "vision" How well will the manufacturer's announced plans for the operating system fit your expected needs?
363 AIX
364 DG/UX
365 Digital Unix
366 HP-UX
367 Irix
368 Linux
369 Macintosh
370 MPE
371 MVS
372 NetWare
373 NonStop-UX
374 OpenVMS
375 OS/2
376 OS/400
377 Solaris
378 UnixWare
379 Windows95
380 Windows NT

Manufacturer's ability to market the operating system
381 AIX
382 DG/UX
383 Digital Unix
384 HP-UX
385 Irix
386 Linux
387 Macintosh
388 MPE
389 MVS
390 NetWare
391 NonStop-UX
392 OpenVMS
393 OS/2
394 OS/400
395 Solaris
396 UnixWare
397 Windows95
398 Windows NT

Manufacturer's management Is the company run well? (All operating systems from a single company should indicate the same score, since here it is the company which is rated, not the particular operating system.)
399 AIX
400 DG/UX
401 Digital Unix
402 HP-UX
403 Irix
404 Linux
405 Macintosh
406 MPE
407 MVS
408 NetWare
409 NonStop-UX
410 OpenVMS
411 OS/2
412 OS/400
413 Solaris
414 UnixWare
415 Windows95
416 Windows NT

Operating System FUNCTION value to you, Workstation Assume that a "unit" workstation exists, it costs $2000, and the performance is the same regardless of operating system. The machine is available with two nearly identical operating sytems A and B. B is more capable than A, but costs more. For each capability listed, what is the largest extra cost for B (in whole dollars) at which you would purchase B instead of A? (Assume that A costs $400 dollars. For each question below, B differs from A by only one capability. Entering 100 as an answer means that you would pay $100 more for B, but if the extra cost was $101, you would buy A instead. Blank fields will be ignored, valid values are 0 to 5000)
417 B fails every 2 years, A fails every 2 days $
418 A server composed of a group of machines running B may lose a member without interrupting service to clients. A similar failure in a group running A will result in dropped connections and require manual intervention by clients (but will not lose data). $
419 B is binary compatible with your primary systems, A is not $
420 B is software compatible (same programs/vendors, but different binaries) with your primary systems, A is not $
421 B has 10000 commercial applications, A has 1000 $
422 B commercial applications, on average, cost one third as much as they do on A $
423 B requires 2 man-hours of maintenance per month, A requires 20 $
424 B requires no operator retraining, A requires 20 man-hours per operator $
425 B requires no end user retraining, A requires 20 man-hours per end user $
426 The identical ANSI C compiler costs $250 on B, $2500 on A $
427 Unit code development and debugging time on B is 1 hour, on A it is 10 hours $
428 All user level software continues to work when B is upgraded to a more recent version. Half of the equivalent software fails when A is upgraded. $
429 B can compile and run POSIX code, A cannot $
430 B can compile and run Win32 code, A cannot $
431 B is multiuser, A is not $
432 Technical support for B on average supplies a problem fix within 2 days. No problems for A are ever fixed except by upgrade. $

Operating System FUNCTION value to you, Small server Assume that a "unit" server exists, it costs $20000, and the performance is the same regardless of operating system. The machine is available with two nearly identical operating sytems A and B. B is more capable than A, but costs more. For each capability listed, what is the largest extra cost for B (in whole dollars) at which you would purchase B instead of A? (Assume that A costs $4000 dollars. For each question below, B differs from A by only one capability. Entering 1000 as an answer means that you would pay $1000 more for B, but if the extra cost was $1001, you would buy A instead. Blank fields will be ignored, valid values are 0 to 50000)
433 B fails every 2 years, A fails every 2 days $
434 A server composed of a group of machines running B may lose a member without interrupting service to clients. A similar failure in a group running A will result in dropped connections and require manual intervention by clients (but will not lose data). $
435 B is binary compatible with your primary systems, A is not $
436 B is software compatible (same programs/vendors, but different binaries) with your primary systems, A is not $
437 B has 10000 commercial applications, A has 1000 $
438 B commercial applications, on average, cost one third as much as they do on A $
439 B requires 2 man-hours of maintenance per month, A requires 20 $
440 B requires no operator retraining, A requires 20 man-hours per operator $
441 B requires no end user retraining, A requires 20 man-hours per end user $
442 The identical ANSI C compiler costs $250 on B, $2500 on A $
443 Unit code development and debugging time on B is 1 hour, on A it is 10 hours $
444 All user level software continues to work when B is upgraded to a more recent version. Half of the equivalent software fails when A is upgraded. $
445 B can compile and run POSIX code, A cannot $
446 B can compile and run Win32 code, A cannot $
447 B is multiuser, A is not $
448 Technical support for B on average supplies a problem fix within 2 days. No problems for A are ever fixed except by upgrade. $

Operating System FUNCTION value to you, Large server Assume that a "unit" server exists, it costs $200000, and the performance is the same regardless of operating system. The machine is available with two nearly identical operating sytems A and B. B is more capable than A, but costs more. For each capability listed, what is the largest extra cost for B (in whole dollars) at which you would purchase B instead of A? (Assume that A costs $40000 dollars. For each question below, B differs from A by only one capability. Entering 10000 as an answer means that you would pay $10000 more for B, but if the extra cost was $10001, you would buy A instead. Blank fields will be ignored, valid values are 0 to 500000)
449 B fails every 2 years, A fails every 2 days $
450 A server composed of a group of machines running B may lose a member without interrupting service to clients. A similar failure in a group running A will result in dropped connections and require manual intervention by clients (but will not lose data). $
451 B is binary compatible with your primary systems, A is not $
452 B is software compatible (same programs/vendors, but different binaries) with your primary systems, A is not $
453 B has 10000 commercial applications, A has 1000 $
454 B commercial applications, on average, cost one third as much as they do on A $
455 B requires 2 man-hours of maintenance per month, A requires 20 $
456 B requires no operator retraining, A requires 20 man-hours per operator $
457 B requires no end user retraining, A requires 20 man-hours per end user $
458 The identical ANSI C compiler costs $250 on B, $2500 on A $
459 Unit code development and debugging time on B is 1 hour, on A it is 10 hours $
460 All user level software continues to work when B is upgraded to a more recent version. Half of the equivalent software fails when A is upgraded. $
461 B can compile and run POSIX code, A cannot $
462 B can compile and run Win32 code, A cannot $
463 B is multiuser, A is not $
464 Technical support for B on average supplies a problem fix within 2 days. No problems for A are ever fixed except by upgrade. $

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The trademarks AIX, DG/UX, Digital Unix, HP-UX, Irix, Linux, Macintosh, MPE, MVS, Netware, NonStop-UX, OpenVMS, OS/2, OS/400, Solaris, UnixWare, Win32, Windows95 and Windows NT are the property of their respective owners.