I have taken SolidWorks surveys from time to time, but they don't ask some questions I would want to know if I was inside of SolidWorks & TRULY NEEDED to know what happens to users, like...: 0. Do you have application software & OS problems which cause you to lose SIGNIFICANT productivity as a SolidWorks user? 1. How many hours per year do you spend on maintaining... -----A. your Windows OS? -----B. Finding fixes and workarounds for SolidWorks? -----C. SolidWorks & its accessory programs doing Service Pack upgrades? -----D. Learning the new features and quirks of each new SWks yearly release? -----E. Dealing with Network issues & SolidWorks? -----F. Negotiating with management &/or IT departments to get changes to improve your SolidWorks productivity? -----G. Your personal training by yourself or with training materials or classes for each year's SolidWorks release? 2. How many times in the last year have you had to reinstall...: -----A. Solidworks? -----B. Solidworks accessory programs and add-ons (not counting SPs)? -----C. Windows? 3. How many hours TOTAL do you estimate you have lost in the last year due to SolidWorks problems requiring reinstall, developing workarounds & debugging. 4. How many hours do you estimate you lost in the last year in doing Windows reinstalls & then the updates, which requires reinstalling application programs and utilities? 5. Do you do Windows reinstalls from a known good archived state of Windows or from the Microsoft DVD? 6. Do you have a monitoring routine in place using standard files and functions which you use regularly which lets you know whether your workstation is maintaining its "as installed" speeds in various functions like Open, Save, Export, Redraw, Rotate, etc? 7. Would you buy a $20 utility as a standard test which executes a standard set of tests on your workstation to assess the ongoing performance of your Windows systems over time for performance comparisons with your own and other users' machines? 8. Would you use UNIX on your workstation to run SolidWorks if SolidWorks offered the option, in order to improve your uptime and security? I am sure a more refined list could be developed, & I am sure in the end a more complete picture of the issue of software and OS related time issues could be understood better to understand how to give the end user better products. Peter Drucker noted: "The bottleneck is always at the top." Bo
