Part 1: Casting your votes
You now have the opportunity to vote in the RISC OS Awards for 2020.
While the poll is nominally for 2020, the period covered is the fourteen months from
November 2019 until December 2020, inclusive. This year, the approach taken for the poll
is the same as last year, as follows:
For most of the categories there are from three to six initial
suggestions along with a short text entry field. You can therefore
either choose one of the options as presented, by selecting the relevant one, or you
can use the text field to vote for something else - to do this, just select the
'alternative option' and enter your choice in the text field.
This means that if you feel that something other than one of the items suggested
deserves a vote, you can vote for it - all you need do is select the 'alternative option'
and enter what you are voting for in the text field.
The text field can also be used to offer an additional comment or observation if you
so wish - if the 'alternative option' is not ticked, anything in the
text field will be treated as a comment.
Although the options on the form will not change, while the form is open the alternative
suggestions will be periodically reviewed, and - depending on their number - some may be
highlighted in posts on
RISCOSitory, and on the
@RISCOSitory Twitter feed
to serve as ideas for others.
All of the categories also have a "No opinion" option, which is selected by
default - if you feel that you have no way to form an opinion in any given category, you
can leave this option selected rather than be forced to vote for something.
There is usually one exception to this format - the 'Best overall contributor' category,
for which no suggestions have been made. For this category, there is only the text field. You
can use this to vote for whoever, or whichever company, you feel deserves recognition
for their overal contribution to the RISC OS platform. If you don't want to vote for
anyone in this category, simply leave the field blank.
This year there is a second exception that also uses that format - the 'Best Show or
Event' category. This category usually has the main shows of the year listed, and
the 'alternative option' can be used to offer up a notable user group meeting instead.
However, as a result of the pandemic and lockdowns, there has only been one physical
show (Southwest 2020), and one normal show moved online (London 2020) - but user group
meetings have also migrated online and become more widely attended than previously, and some
particularly notable meetings have taken place. This year, therefore, leaving this category
as a text entry, allowing you to choose from any of the events you've attended is the most
sensible approach.
Part 2: Filling in the survey
An annual survey can help form a picture of the RISC OS landscape, for example allowing
developers to see what platforms are in use and to decide, therefore, what support to
provide for them in their software. Combining that survey with the annual awards vote is a
logical approach.
Just as the Awards voting form above shows a "No opinion" option for every
category, all of the survey questions include an "I'd rather not say" option,
which is selected by default. If you want to answer some questions, but not all of them,
you can do so, or you can skip straight past the survey and
submit your votes for the awards poll without answering
a single one of these questions.
However, the more you answer, the more helpful you are being. Hopefully, none of the
questions are too intrusive, and you can rest assured that your privacy will be respected:
Once the answers are counted up and the results published, all of the source data will be
deleted.
1: How many RISC OS systems do you own?
This can mean both hardware and emulated systems, and can include
computers you still have, but which are no longer in use.
I'd rather not say.
None
One
Two
Three
Four
Five or more
2: And of those, how many are in regular or semi-regular use?
I'd rather not say.
None
One
Two
Three
Four
Five or more
For questions 3 and 4, please answer in respect of the
RISC OS computer you use the most. If you feel that you
use more than one RISC OS system roughly the same amount of time each, use the
one you would consider your primary machine - or, perhaps, your favourite, if
that's a better way to decide.
3: Which version of RISC OS do you use most?
If your specific version isn't listed, please select the closest
version below the one you use - so, for example, if you use
RISC OS 3.7, please select RISC OS 3.5. Users of RISC OS Select (or
Adjust) should choose RISC OS 4.2
I'd rather not say.
RISC OS 2.0
RISC OS 3.0
RISC OS 3.5
RISC OS 4.0
RISC OS 4.2
RISC OS 5.0
RISC OS 6.0
4: What is your main platform for using RISC OS?
I'd rather not say.
Raspberry Pi-based
BeagleBoard-based
PandaBoard-based
ARMX6 (including 'kit' form or mini.m)
RapidO Ig (including 'kit' form)
Titanium-based
ARMBook
Iyonix
RiscPC
A7000/A7000+
VirtualAcorn/VirtualRPC
RPCEmu
Other
5: How long have you been a RISC OS user?
I'd rather not say.
I upgraded to it from Arthur!
I've been using it since Acorn were around.
I started using it after Acorn closed, but more than two years ago.
I'm a newbie - I've only started using it in the last couple of years!
6: Do you use RISC OS in a professional capacity in any way?
I'd rather not say.
Yes, my main job involves RISC OS.
Yes, not just RISC OS, but to a large degree.
Yes, but only to a limited degree.
No, I use RISC OS purely for pleasure.
7: Would you say your overall use of RISC OS has increased or
decreased over the last year?
I'd rather not say.
It's increased a lot.
It's increased a little.
It hasn't really changed.
It's decreased a little.
It's decreased a lot.
8: How much would you say you've spent on RISC OS hardware over the last twelve months?
I'd rather not say.
£0
£1 to £50
£51 to £150
£151 to £400
£401 to £1000
More than £1000
9: How much would you say you've spent on RISC OS software over the last twelve months?
I'd rather not say.
£0
£1 to £50
£51 to £150
£151 to £400
£401 to £1000
More than £1000
10: How much do you think you'll spend on RISC OS hardware over the next twelve months?
I'd rather not say.
£0
£1 to £50
£51 to £150
£151 to £400
£401 to £1000
More than £1000
11: How much do you think you'll spent on RISC OS software over the next twelve months?
I'd rather not say.
£0
£1 to £50
£51 to £150
£151 to £400
£401 to £1000
More than £1000
12: If your spending (past or projected) is low, which of these reasons most explains why?
I'd rather not say.
N/a - my spending isn't low.
I simply don't have the money to spend.
Cash is tight, but I'm saving up to buy something in future.
Everything I have works well enough.
My reason is:
13: Do you attend any user group meetings?
The pandemic has changed the way user group meetings take place. Some
smaller groups may not be holding meetings at the moment, while others - and certainly the
larger groups - have taken them online. This question normally asks about your local
group, but this year I have rephrased it to ask about any groups, because you may
be attending meetings for a different group - possibly even more than one.
I'd rather not say.
Yes, regularly or fairly regularly.
Only occasionally.
No, I don't attend any.
14: Do you know of a local group and if/when they meet normally meet up in normal times?
Similarly, this question normally asks about your local group and if you
don't attend it, why not - but for this unusual period, it has been rephrased to a simpler version.
I'd rather not say.
Yes.
No, I don't know if there's a local group.
Unfortunately, there isn't a local group.
15: By choice, do you use any platforms other than RISC OS?
If you only use another platform because you
must do so
at your place of work, or you
must do so to perform a
necessary
task for which RISC OS is unsuitable, please answer "No" to this question.
However, if you use another platform in either a professional or personal capacity through
your own personal choice, then please answer "Yes" - unless, of course,
you'd rather not say.
I'd rather not say (please move on to question 20)
Yes
No (please move on to question 20)
16: Which of these other platforms do you use as well as RISC OS?
I'd rather not say.
Windows
MacOS
Linux-based (excluding Android etc)
Android
iOS
ChromeOS
Other
Most people these days use a number of different platforms, so you
may have ticked more than one of those above. If this applies to you, please consider which
one you use most of all for the next few questions. If you feel you use more
than one equally, please choose one of them for the purposes of these questions.
17: Which other operating system would you say you use most?
I'd rather not say.
Windows
MacOS
Linux-based (excluding Android etc)
Android
iOS
ChromeOS
Other
18: On what processor do you use that operating system?
I'd rather not say.
ARM
Intel/AMD
Other
19: And do you use it more or less than RISC OS?
I'd rather not say.
More
About the same
It varies
Less
20: In which age range do you fall?
I'd rather not say.
Under 20
20 to 29
30 to 39
40 to 49
50 to 59
60 or over
21: Are you male or female?
I'd rather not say.
Male
Female
Other
Part 3: Submitting your vote/survey answers
Your votes will be submitted when you click the button below.
No cookies will be placed on your computer as a means to prevent multiple votes from a
single machine. This is in case of households in which more than one person uses RISC OS
on a single computer - and/or who may be voting from a single computer - so that everyone
can vote.
Instead, you are asked to submit your email address. This will be used in
conjunction with your IP address to help identify and avoid duplicate votes. You do not
have to provide an email address but, if you don't, should multiple votes be
identified from your IP address, only the last one will be used. (This also means that
you can change your vote simply by voting again.)
If you do provide your email address, it will be deleted along with all the other
source data once the initial processing of votes and survey questions is complete. If
you need further information about this policy, please contact
Vince Hudd / Soft Rock Software.
Your email address:
[Submit your vote button removed]
