SPSS Free?
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Dear Friends, I just came across this SAS press release: http://www.sas.com/news/preleases/ondemandforacademics-nocostSGF10.html Is this a shot across IBM-SPSS’s bow? Just an aside, does anyone know how much of the academic
market SAS and SPSS have? TIA, Stephen Salbod, Pace University, NYC |
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I doubt that it is truly 'no-cost'. I don't pay for SAS or SPSS--my university has a site license. We get the software via the network, students pay a modest fee for the disks. My guess is SAS is simply doing away with disk delivery and passing on the cost to the institution. *************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Mark A. Davenport Ph.D. Senior Research Analyst Office of Institutional Research The University of North Carolina at Greensboro 336.256.0395 [hidden email] 'An approximate answer to the right question is worth a good deal more than an exact answer to an approximate question.' --a paraphrase of J. W. Tukey (1962)
Dear Friends, I just came across this SAS press release: http://www.sas.com/news/preleases/ondemandforacademics-nocostSGF10.html Is this a shot across IBM-SPSS’s bow? Just an aside, does anyone know how much of the academic market SAS and SPSS have? TIA, Stephen Salbod, Pace University, NYC |
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In reply to this post by Salbod
SAS OnDemand
is indeed free for faculty who teaches class using SAS (e.g. SAS/EG), JMP, or
SAS/EM. Faculty
would be able to upload the data to SAS server for student to access to. What
I told is that students won’t be able to analyze their own data because
they cannot update the data to the server or maybe there is limitation on the
number variables or cases can run – I am not sure because I have not
tried yet. However, it really depend on the setup because SAS/EG can set
to access to local data resources easily. I have not tried so cannot tell why
not. SAS/EM is going to be running via Java Web Start. Both SAS/EG and EM data
access can be managed by using management console; thus, I am not sure if that
is why student won’t be able to run their own data. At least, it is
free for teaching. It’s a good option for intro. stat or research class. The
cost of SAS academic license is much lower than SPSS and there is no cost
living increase for years. SPSS cost 10% or more each year!! In
short, SAS is much customer friendly and smart by providing free access to the software
for teaching; thus, potentially, students will be using SAS over other software
if they are given the choice. Because of low cost of JMP available to
students and faculty, JMP users on campus doubled within a year. I see
more SPSS users switched to JMP now. Cost does matter believe or not. I hope
SPSS would do the same to their academic customers. Ling From: SPSSX(r) Discussion
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Salbod, Mr. Stephen Dear Friends, I just came across this SAS press release: http://www.sas.com/news/preleases/ondemandforacademics-nocostSGF10.html Is this a shot across IBM-SPSS’s bow? Just an aside, does anyone know how much of the academic
market SAS and SPSS have? TIA, Stephen Salbod, Pace University, NYC |
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So, what you are saying is that students can use SAS OnDemand to process canned datasets for class but cannot use it for anything that a faculty member hasn't posted on the SAS server? Sorry, I don't see a great deal of advantage here. Our faculty, staff and students get SPSS and SAS for free on campus-owned computers, faculty and staff can get them for free on all networked computers through our VPN Client (I can can use both from home on my laptop). Students can get SPSS for $10 per module for a year on their home computers (not the old 'Graduate Pack' stuff but the full monty) and it has been $10 for years. They can run whatever they want whenever they want. SAS follows much the same process. However, the $5 disk fee is refundable if the disks are returned so, technically, SAS is free. Other schools may have different arraingments. That said, I don't really see students jumping over themselves to go to SAS. SAS is great at some things, SPSS is great at some things. I find SAS more powerful for automated reporting but it is a pain in the butt for a lot of the analyses I do. So, I use both. Mark *************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Mark A. Davenport Ph.D. Senior Research Analyst Office of Institutional Research The University of North Carolina at Greensboro 336.256.0395 [hidden email] 'An approximate answer to the right question is worth a good deal more than an exact answer to an approximate question.' --a paraphrase of J. W. Tukey (1962)
SAS OnDemand is indeed free for faculty who teaches class using SAS (e.g. SAS/EG), JMP, or SAS/EM. Faculty would be able to upload the data to SAS server for student to access to. What I told is that students won’t be able to analyze their own data because they cannot update the data to the server or maybe there is limitation on the number variables or cases can run – I am not sure because I have not tried yet. However, it really depend on the setup because SAS/EG can set to access to local data resources easily. I have not tried so cannot tell why not. SAS/EM is going to be running via Java Web Start. Both SAS/EG and EM data access can be managed by using management console; thus, I am not sure if that is why student won’t be able to run their own data. At least, it is free for teaching. It’s a good option for intro. stat or research class. The cost of SAS academic license is much lower than SPSS and there is no cost living increase for years. SPSS cost 10% or more each year!! In short, SAS is much customer friendly and smart by providing free access to the software for teaching; thus, potentially, students will be using SAS over other software if they are given the choice. Because of low cost of JMP available to students and faculty, JMP users on campus doubled within a year. I see more SPSS users switched to JMP now. Cost does matter believe or not. I hope SPSS would do the same to their academic customers. Ling From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Salbod, Mr. Stephen Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 11:16 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: SPSS Free? Dear Friends, I just came across this SAS press release: http://www.sas.com/news/preleases/ondemandforacademics-nocostSGF10.html Is this a shot across IBM-SPSS’s bow? Just an aside, does anyone know how much of the academic market SAS and SPSS have? TIA, Stephen Salbod, Pace University, NYC |
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Ok, My point is … It is welcome for software companies to
offer such or better package for academic customers. It will only be a
win-win. That was what I was told by SAS staff, but I haven’t try Academic
OnDemand. SAS/EG can be set to access local data easy; Academic OnDemand is
mainly for the purpose of teaching. For more advance, this is might not be the
option. We have SAS free of charge to students, so this is icing on the
cake and an another option faculty have. SAS/Enterprise Miner certainly will
be a plus even if you can only run canned data. The software cost more. With this
option, students at least has chance to gain experience of using the software.
Again, we have SAS/EM available free of charge to faculty/students, but
it’s great for universities don’t have it available when faculty
would like to include it in teaching. I won’t discount the intention of
Academic OnDemand just because we have better package available for our
customers on campus. Each software has its great or not so great part. What SAS offer
is an option to choose from. It’s all up to faculty/student to decide if
they want to go for or not, but at least it’s available. Not all like
your institute has such option available to students/faculty. Overall, it’s
good direction SAS set for. I won’t nor a right place to argue about SAS
vs. SPSS. It all depends on what you need it for. It would be great that IBM SPSS
will have similar package available for making teaching/learning easier! Ling Ling
Ting Information
Technology Services University
of Arkansas Fayetteville,
AR 72701 479.575.7322 479.575.4753
(fax) From: SPSSX(r) Discussion
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Mark A Davenport MADAVENP
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In reply to this post by Mark A Davenport MADAVENP
Mark
Didn't Tukey also say, "All the statistics in the
world won't help you if you asked the wrong question in the first
place."?
Interesting deve;lopment from SAS. but don't expect
me to rewrite all my stuff for SAS. I've just spent several days
converting loads of unashamedly syntax-based tutorials from SPSS 15 to
PASW/SPSS 18 and uploaded uploaded them today.
Best link for you to check is http://surveyresearch.weebly.com/guide-to-spss-tutorials.html
John Hall
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