Date:         Fri, 24 Apr 1998 11:28:11 +0200
Reply-To:     "Werner E. HELM" <helm@FH-DARMSTADT.DE>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Werner E. HELM" <helm@FH-DARMSTADT.DE>
Subject:      Re: SAS Vs. SPSS
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear SAS-L :
 
Sometimes I really enjoy reading subjective answers to subjective (i.e.
unprecise) questions.
 
What "user-friendly" means clearly depends on what the persons talking
about do understand under "user".
 
One answer I read was o.k. if the user is a developer (as are many active
on sas-l) or someone being supported by a developer.
Another answer, stating just the opposite, was o.k., if the user is a
stand-alone end-user.
 
So what ?   One point : Questions should be more precise.
 
Just one remark for stand-alone end-users :
 
STATISTICA from Statsoft  has won many comparative reviews over SPSS .
For scientific purposes my personal favorite for small and fast solutions
was and is  Systat , now from SPSS, Inc.
I could list many points where Systat is better than SPSS, just as there
are reversed ones.
Stata in some respects is a very good package, too.
 
 
Of course, for many other tasks  SAS is the (only and) best choice.
 
 
A good idea is always to look for comparative reviews such as those
published by  Infoworld and others.
 
They give a rather balanced view.
 
 
Werner E. HELM .