When i am having the usage of a technology as my dependent variable then should i take my sample only from population of actual users of that technology or can i select my sample from potential users as well ? what is valid?
It sounds like that depends upon what you are trying to estimate, and to whom you want it to apply. Would you want to know the result unconditionally, or for it to be conditional upon being a user? Perhaps you might also consider whether or not your independent variables make sense outside of the user population.