Re: Statistics/graphing programs for scientists?
> However, your last sentence is so seriously misleading that it must
> be corrected.
>
I'm interested.
> First, octave is no "spreadsheet" but close to being a clone of the
> MatLab core executable. Therefore it is a highly programmable matrix- and
> array-oriented general-purpose numerical analysis package and it is
> exremely powerful. What it lacks relative to MatLab is the range of
> "toolboxes" which add specialised pre-programmed functionality. Though it
> does have its own Statistics "toolbox" this is less complete than
> MatLab's. However, nothing whatever prevents a knowledgeable user from
> programming their own very sophisticated statistical analysis, far beyond
> what any spreadsheet known to me could achieve.
>
Octave is good. I use it extensively. But it is not a specialised statistics
software package like statistica.
> In addition there are some powerful "free unix programs" which specialise
> in Statistics. "R" and "XLispStat" are important examples. An important
> though more specialised (based on Monte Carlo approaches to Bayesian
> statistics) package is BUGS, also available for Linux.
>
I can't claim to have used these packages, but at least they will give the
originator of this thread (and me) something to look at.
> And, lest your last sentence should give the impression that only
> programs with spreadsheet-like capability are available for UNIX
> generally, don't forget that almost all the major programs exist
> in UNIX versions (MatLab, S-plus, SPSS, Mathematica, SAS, maybe also
> Statistica, and so on) and many of them have been ported to Linux
> as well (MatLab being early on the Linux scene).
>
Statistica is a push and click program that allows you to preform some pretty
complex analysis with relatively little affort. I don't think the originator
of this thread is particularly interested in writing m code etc ...
Well at least my slightly abrasive email caused you to write an informative
reply useful to all.
Regards ....
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