Date:         Wed, 2 May 2001 22:21:04 -0400
Reply-To:     hhstuart@ma.ultranet.com
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Hoff Stuart <hhstuart@MA.ULTRANET.COM>
Subject:      Re: January 1, 1960
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I've been using SAS since 1973. I started using it then as a graduate
student at North Carolina State where Dr. Goodnight worked at the time.
I don't believe the SAS Institute had been created by then; I believe
they created the institute after that. If you were using it in 1960 I
would be amazed. Even main frames were rare beasts in those days. They
may have still been using ticker tape that far back. I sure do remember
using cards in 1973, however.

Hoff Stuart

"Schechter, Robert S" wrote:
>
> I beg to differ. SAS was developed, and I've been using it, before January
> 1, 1960. As I recall it, January 1, 1960 is the official date SAS Institute
> was incorporated.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paula M. Adkins [mailto:PAdkins@CHECKFREE.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 9:32 AM
> To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: January 1, 1960
>
> >My questions are just the opposite.  Why did SAS choose 1960 as
> >their base?
>
> John, as I recall from when I took the "SAS Fundamentals: A Programming
> Approach" class, the reason why SAS chose 1960 as their base is because
> January 1, 1960, is the date Dr. Jim Goodnight, founder of SAS, developed
> SAS on an IBM system. A SAS date value is interpreted as the number of days
> between January 1, 1960, and that date. For example:
>
> 01JAN1959 ---> -365
> 01JAN1960 --->  0
> 01JAN1961 --->  365
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> Paula M. Adkins, Risk Analyst I
> Risk & Source Management Dept.
> CheckFree Corporation
> 6000 Perimeter Drive
> Dublin, OH 43017
> 614-564-3117, 614-564-4308-fax
> www.checkfree.com