1999 Swarm survey results: available online.

[Alex Lancaster]

Collective Hivers,

The results from the 1999 Swarm survey are now available on line!
(the survey is now officially closed)

Navigate your favourite browser to:

  http://swarm.santafe.edu/survey99/survey-results1.mhtml

Thanks to everyone who participated, 120 at the final count!

Some highlights of the survey:

* respondents came from 24 different countries

* 70 of which indicate they have used Swarm

* 60 indicated they use Swarm primarily in a research context,
  2 indicated their work is of an industrial/commercial nature

* only a third of users now found the installation of Swarm difficult
  (compared with more than half in previous years)

* for at least two enhancements which were rated highly, we have made
  considerable inroads (either having actually been implemented, or
  currently in the works):

 - database interface for data access (the binary database format:
   HDF5 and enhancement of R, a freely available statistical package)

 - Java interface (nearing completion)

We clearly have more work ahead of us, but with your continued support
we hope to achieve them.  We hope that the results will stimulate a
general conversation on the mailing list(s).

Congratulations also to our 10 winners (picked at random from all
survey entrants):

  Peter Zvirinsky      
  Andrew Sherlock            
  Ginger Booth         
  Eric Werk            
  Krishnan Viswanathan 
  John Dellenger             
  Miles Parker       
  Brian Haugh        
  Donald Snyder      
  Nicholas Tay       

Depending on our stocks, each winner will receive either a SwarmFest99
T-shirt or CD-ROM.  We'll be contacting each of you privately to
arrange delivery options.

The information you have helped us collect will be invaluable in
helping plan future Swarm enhancements and setting overall directions
for the project.

Thanks again!

 --- Alex

-- 
  Alex Lancaster           |  e-mail: address@hidden
  Swarm Program            |     web: http://www.santafe.edu/~alex
  Santa Fe Institute       |     tel: +1-(505) 984-8800 (ext 242)
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