Walt Borges wrote:

> From an analysis standpoint, and as someone who learned all these
> programs over the last two years, I would list the pros and cons thus:
>
> SPSS --         pro:    Good point and click features

Point and click features are the work of the devil and are avoided by
all right-thinking, non-muddleheaded people.  Here's where vast hordes
of grad students start thinking I'm some sort of luddite who still runs
DRDOS and who loves nothing better than entering an obscure series of
command switches.

But you only like point-and-click features because they haven't bitten
you in the ass yet.  They will, just as surely as the equation editor in
Word will.  You're going to be doing some sort of analysis and have
something really cool that you're utterly unable to replicate because
you got there by some series of mouse clicks.

Stored programs are your friend.

> STATA --
> con:  Inevitably you will need to deal with a data or
> graphics issue that will send you to the seven-volume manual.
> Someone in the department better have one you can use,
> because it's real expensive. The good news is
> that you will probably find the instructions there
> and understand them.

I don't have the manuals, but have found the answers to all my problems
so far just by using search engines.

> R --        con:
>                         Importing data sets (major pain in the butt).

Nah.  R imports CSV files just fine.

And along with doing your real work with stored programs, you should be
backing up your data as a CSV or other simple text format on a regular
basis.

There's no guarantee at all that the version of your favorite software
in 2015 will be able to read files from 2006.  If anything, the record
of statistical software is apocalyptically bad with respect to
interoperability of data files even between contemporaneous versions for
different OSes.

But any software worth more than swearing at and spitting on will be
able to read a CSV or some other simply formatted ASCII file now, and in
2015, and for ever and ever amen.  It's a dead easy way to keep your
data safe, and you want your data safe.

Also, you kids get off my lawn or I shall strike you with my cane most
severely.

Best,

Jim Battista
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