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Elizabeth Clarkson writes about statistical software for Desktop Engineering magazine.

One-Minute Reviews

If you're in a hurry to find out which stat software is right for you, you've come to the right place. I've used just about every statistical program available on the PC at one time or another. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Which one is right for you depends on who you are and what you need. Read on.


S-Plus 2000 A high-end program for professionals

SPSS coming soon

SAS JMP coming soon

StatGraphics Possibly my favorite stat program

NCSS Its quirky interface is its best and worst feature

Statgraphics
Statgraphics is possibly my favorite statistical program. I recommend it especially for novices or
those who only need do the occasional analysis. This program has great ghaphics and it's easy to use. For novices, and to help old statisticians like me who have to look up the details anyway, they include the stat advisor with every analysis. Just a few sentences to explain what the analysis does, the pertinent parameter values returned, and what they mean. If you don't already know the statistics, or if you've forgotten, it's a big help in understanding the output and correctly interpreting it. On the negative side, it's a bit slow, can't handle really large datasets well, and the feature set is limited in comparison to other statistical packages.
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NCSS
NCSS: This program has a rather quirky interface that is both its strength and weakness. The
user interface is quite efficient once you get used to it, but it has more of a learning curve than
most other statistical packages. The feature set is complete; it can handle all but the most
esoteric analyses. Due to the unusual interface, running the same analysis repeatedly with
different variables is easier to program than with most other statistical software. I recommend
this as a good solid product to use for daily work. The unusual user interface makes it unwieldy
for occasionally use. You have to relearn how to use the interface if you don't use it often
enough to remember it easily.
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S-Plus 2000
S-Plus 2000 is a high end program designed for professional use. I don't recommend this
for amateurs or novices, but you won't find a more comprehensive feature set. The object-
oriented command language has a steep learning curve, but the majority of options are available
via the menu, so you don't need to learn it in order to make use of this program. It's graphic
capabilities are incredible. You can change formulas or dataset and spin the resulting image in
real time to detect differences. It's only for the serious analyst though. With the long learning
curse, and no 'advisor' feature like statgraphics has, a novice user is unlikely to end up with a
useable analysis without taking the time to become an expert.
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