SPSS

[wispfox]

*stares*

I understand that statistical packages help reduce the tedium of doing statistical analysis by hand. But why does SPSS seem to have decided that one needs to trade that tedium in for tedium involving entering in your data? The computer _should be able to handle these things correctly_ without irritating extra steps.

*stares more* *makes much use of the 'suggest@spss.com' address*

Comments

[dphilli1.livejournal.com]

perl. is your friend.

[caulay.livejournal.com]

SPSS was designed by a statistician who wanted to inflict his joyless grey existence on the rest of humanity.

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

Does it have any way to import data? If so, you could have some outboard application manage your data entry, then spit it out in a format SPSS can read. I do tricks like this rather a lot, as I have great globs of old data I have to format-convert anyway for various applications (I got big points on a sales trip once by bashing together a demo using some years-old LJ friends social linkage data and WilmaScope).

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

I don't want ways to work around it, I want it _fixed_! :)

(but yes, it has importing, I believe, as well as a syntax-based method to interact with it; I will likely learn this latter pretty quickly, due to sheer annoyance. But my job is QE; I should look at the typical method, first. ;)

[laurion]

I too had to fight with SPSS recently. It will import CSV data, but it isn't very cooperative.

And ignore that email address. You'd get more help from a handful of jelly beans.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

email address: not looking for help, looking for improvements. But I take it you've determined that they ignore it? Sad...