From: brucep@SPSS.COM ((Bruce Peterson))
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.spssx-l
Subject: StatSoft Again?
Date: 14 Oct 92 20:41:51 GMT
Reply-To: "(Bruce Peterson)" <brucep@SPSS.COM>
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
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Comments: To: "(SPSSX-L)" <spssx-l@ohstvma.acs.ohio-state.edu>

In response to Allen Herzog's mention of the StatSoft Inc. "review" of
SPSS for Windows, we can only caution you to keep in mind that this
document is indeed sales literature.  As such, its intent is much different
from, say, that of a third-party, objective product review appearing in an
industry journal.  Like StatSoft's recent published review of Systat, which
proved to be full of inaccuracies, this review contains numerous factual
errors and therefore is of dubious quality.  As always, however, the best
way to evaluate any product is to try it out for yourself.  That's why SPSS
Inc. offers a 60-day unconditional money-back guarantee with all of its
products.

Here are several examples of the factual inaccuracies contained in
StatSoft's review of SPSS for Windows:

"SPSS for Windows cannot be considered a true Windows application."
Microsoft Corporation does and has certified SPSS for Windows as
'Windows compatible.'  That certification appears on every SPSS for
Windows product we ship.

"A number of tests (conducted by the PC Week reviewers and our own lab)
indicate that the accuracy of optimization algorithms used in SPSS for
Windows do not meet the standards of some published tests of numerical
precision..."
PC Week printed a correction notice (PC Week, August 24, 1992, p.72) in
this regard when it became known that the reviewer used a data set
containing a typographical error.  No reliable statistics package would have
produced the results the reviewer expected from the data set that was used.
Quite simply, StatSoft is quoting (admitted) erroneous statements from PC
Week.

"Also, only variables from the beginning of a long list can be selected via
the variable selection window; if you need to select variables from the end
of the list, you need to exit the Windows interface and use the command
language."
Users can scroll through the entire variable list using the standard
Windows scroll bar (or through first-letter searches).  The only limitation
is on the number of variables which can appear in the variable list box
(4,500) -- this is a Windows limitation and not one imposed by SPSS.

There are other errors of fact but this is getting too lengthy already.  In
closing, we just want to point out that the PC Week reviewer (that is so
heavily quoted in the StatSoft sales literature) translated his product
scoring of SPSS for Windows to "current users should upgrade, and users
of similar programs should give this product a serious look." (PC Week,
August 24, 1992, p. 78)

--
+**************************************************************************+
*  Bruce L. Peterson              *     Internet  brucep@spss.com          *
*  Manager, Technical Support     *     Voice      312/329-3655            *
*  SPSS Inc                       *     FAX        312/329-3668            *
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Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU