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STATISTICA cited in prestigious journal
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A comprehensive (4 pages long) review of STATISTICA and the new features and enhancements introduced in the'98 Edition has just been published in BIOTECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE AND INTERNET JOURNAL. STATISTICA has received yet another extremely positive evaluation and the highest rating on each of the three general evaluative dimensions used routinely in the BIOTECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE reviews: Usefulness, Ease of Use, and Freedom from Bugs. The reviewer praises the unusual comprehensiveness of the program, "excellent documentation" and the high quality of phone support offered by StatSoft, the quality, customizability and selection of graphics, and the performance of the system (even on low-end hardware). Many unique features of STATISTICA are recognized and discussed in depth (e.g., the Module Switcher, the self-prompting dialogs, the high-performance worksheet). Finally, the reviewer comments extensively on the large amount of new functionality offered in the new release. "It is usually a disappointment to see a new version of analytic software appear only to find that a few cosmetic changes have been made," however, "StatSoft programmers have ... substantially extended the depth and breadth of the program" and added "much of substance" (p. 5). "The efforts of StatSoft to enhance and continually upgrade support for this powerful and flexible tool should be appreciated by users at all levels." (p.11).
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In the recent edition of the Buyer's Guide published by Quality Digest (December, 1998), practically all Statistical Quality Control Software packages currently available on the market were rated on 43 (0/1) dimensions (each worth 1 point), divided into four categories:
The following table includes the ratings of STATISTICA Industrial System and its competitors.
STATISTICA Industrial System has received the highest total number of points of the compared SPC (data analysis) programs.
A comprehensive (3 pages long) review of STATISTICA Neural Networks has just been published in BIOTECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE AND INTERNET JOURNAL. STATISTICA Neural Networks has received yet another extremely positive evaluation and the highest rating on each of the three general evaluative dimensions used routinely in the BIOTECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE reviews: Usefulness, Ease of Use, and Freedom from Bugs. The author of the review (Dr. John A. Wass from Abbott Laboratories), clearly appreciates the intentions of the developers of STATISTICA Neural Networks to design a program that would offer an optimal balance between "user-friendliness and simplicity" and "sophistication and complexity." He praises the unusual comprehensiveness of the program (as evidenced by the wide selection of supported algorithms: "Again, StatSoft does not skimp when it comes to important functionalities; both depth and breadth of techniques are available in the package." (p. 10)), as well its exceptional ease of use that is not typical for applications of the caliber of STATISTICA Neural Networks.
STATISTICA has again received the highest rating in a comparative listing of features of statistical packages, this time in the recent edition of the Buyer's Guide published by Scientific Computing and Automation (September, 1998). Practically all popular statistics packages were rated on 28 (0/1) dimensions (each worth 1 point). Some of these dimensions represent support for specific types of analyses (e.g., Experimental Design, Process Analysis, Quality Control), others are evaluative (e.g., Precision/Accuracy, Speed, Variety of Tests). STATISTICA has received the highest total number of points (25) of all compared statistics programs.
STATISTICA has received another exceptionally positive review in a highly respected, professional publication. In a comprehensive evaluation of the program published in Scientific Data Management (Software Reviews) practically all aspects of the functionality of the program received the highest marks. It is clearly the most positive review of a statistics program that has ever been published in Scientific Data Management:
"STATISTICA is a very powerful and amazingly flexible product. If anything, it is almost too flexible and you are overwhelmed by choice … this is a heavy weight package by any definition …the data editor is better than many employed in packages of this type … one of the key benefits of STATISTICA is the wonderful graphical outputs that can be produced … with an incredible range of smoothing and fitting options … [the documentation] is very impressive … this is an excellent product and provides an amazing range of features and customization with stunning graphics."
In a comprehensive comparative technical review of five statistics software packages (STATISTICA, SPSS, Minitab, Statgraphics, and S-PLUS), including comparative benchmarks of computational accuracy and extensive quantitative ratings of various aspects of the functionality of the programs, STATISTICA has been selected again as a clear winner by the reviewers of BYTE magazine.
"The winner, STATISTICA stands out for its excellent interface and powerful functionality. (…) It is a perfect product, allowing the users to perform their analyses efficiently and to well present the results. STATISTICA offers all the analyses that are offered by the products that received the lower ratings but it allows you to perform these analyses more efficiently, and also its results are more reliable. (…) Of all the programs analyzed in this comparison, STATISTICA was the only program that can serve as a benchmark of accuracy (precision) of calculations. (…) Not only does STATISTICA offer all those advantages, but it is also less expensive than some other compared programs."
Dr David Gunaratnam (a professor at the University of Sydney, a renowned expert in neural networks technology, and a teacher of neural networks courses) has published a technical review of STATISTICA Neural Networks in In-Psych magazine, a publication of the Australian Psychological Society. Practically all aspects of the program have received very high marks, including the comprehensiveness of the application, the quality and efficiency of its user interface (and the "ease of use"), as well as the accompanying documentation and the integration of the program with other applications:
User interface is possibly one of the best features of the program. The toolbar and the associated buttons have been effectively used to partition the program into layers, allowing the users to readily access the networks that are commonly used and with the most application potential. The buttons performing similar or associated functions have been clustered together and arranged in a logical sequence, reflecting the different stages in neural network modeling. (…) The tasks of creating, training and testing networks have been made extremely simple and involve the user making selections from a series of fixed (dialog) and resizable windows using micro-scrolls, buttons and check boxes. There are a number of resizable graphics windows for checking network architecture, for monitoring network performance during training, and for visualization of the results. (…)
All the activities associated with creating a neural network model for a particular application has been streamlined and organized so that they can be carried out effortlessly. (…) The information requested or stored in the different dialogs and windows is also organized in a logical manner, and users should have no difficulty in finding the required information about a network, once the organizational structure is understood. Though the program is packed with a number of features, options and refinements, the concise and reasonably flat representation used allows one to access even the most advanced features without having to delve too deeply into the program. (…)
: STATISTICA Neural Networks is an exceptionally well designed program with a user-friendly interface and includes a number of advanced features that reflect some of the more recent developments in neural network research. It is a state-of-the-art program that is an excellent tool for teaching neural networks, for developing applications in a variety of areas, and for conducting research into neural network applications."
STATISTICA has received another extremely positive evaluation in a major computer magazine. In her comprehensive review of the program, Alison Currie (one of the editors of PC Magazine) writes:
In the July issue, the editors of Scientific Computing and Automation published a summary statement about STATISTICA as part of the presentation of the Readers’ Choice Awards (where STATISTICA has been voted #1 in the category of statistical software):
We are pleased to announce that STATISTICA has been rated #1 in yet another major comparative review and received another glowing evaluation, this time from Nature - one of the most respected science journals in the world.
The reviewer stated that "Of all the Windows-based graphical packages surveyed, STATISTICA was the most impressive." In this comprehensive article, STATISTICA was compared with practically all (16) statistics and graphics software packages available on the market, including products from SAS, SPSS, and many other manufacturers.
The reviewer went on to say, "I found that STATISTICA provided the most impressive array of graphical options. It was obvious that this package was the best," "...it is very obvious that this is a prototype for where graphics packages of this information age will be heading." and "...this was the most well-rounded and powerful Windows package on the market."
The text of the review is available on the Nature magazine web site.
Nature (published by Macmillan) and SCIENCE (published by AAAS) are the two most widely distributed and highly regarded general science journals in the world, read by a broad spectrum of scientists in astronomy, natural sciences, biology, chemistry, physics, and social sciences (for information on how readers of SCIENCE evaluate STATISTICA, see the reader survey results given below).
STATISTICA has received the 1998 Reader's Choice Award and the highest rating in a reader survey conducted by Scientific Computing and Automation (a leading US scientific computing monthly, circulation: 150,000). This is the second award from the SC&A readers in a row (STATISTICA was also rated #1 in 1997). This distinction is particularly rewarding for us since it is based on results of a vote of a large number of users -- data analysts and statisticians who use analytic software for real world applications.
A survey conducted by SCIENCE (the publication of the American Association for Advancement of Science; circulation: over 150,000) of a randomly selected sample of its readers has provided data on how StatSoft, Inc. is perceived by the community of scientists and administrators of science. This survey reiterates the results of the 1992 and 1997 surveys. The following are unedited statements about StatSoft, Inc. and its products volunteered anonymously by the respondents. The data for the surveys, sponsored by SCIENCE magazine, were collected by the Harvey Research Organization, Fairport, New York. The following selection of excerpts has been accepted by SCIENCE for use in this material (reprinted by permission of SCIENCE and Harvey Research Organization):
"StatSoft is well known for high quality statistical software. This product [STATISTICA] has been tops against the competition in all comparisons. It has a perfect track record. Not too many products are so dominant." -- Pathologist/Cell Biologist, University
"I've heard of StatSoft. They provide a lot of different software. It has a statistical orientation." -- Professor, University
"I know the company [StatSoft], they are innovative and forward-moving." -- Professor, University
"I have this software package [STATISTICA]. (…) I've been happy with this software." -- Dept. Head, Government
"StatSoft is a company that makes statistical software packages for microcomputers. They have been around for a long time. They always get good reviews." -- President, Industry
"Their [STATISTICA] ad is a pretty accurate reflection of the things their software can do. If you need more from your statistics software, then you don't have STATISTICA." -- Professor/Immunologist, University
"They [StatSoft] have good products that work well." -- Professor of Psychology, University
"This [StatSoft] is a well known company that puts out a very large number of software programs." -- Medical Director, Healthcare Services
"I know a little bit about StatSoft. This [STATISTICA] is a very powerful program. They've been around and they're well established. They do lots of good stuff." -- Research Associate, Industry
"They [StatSoft] have a highly rated product that is effective." -- Research Associate, University
"They are an excellent company. This product [STATISTICA] is software for analysis, reports, and graphs for the science community. They supply software to present more professional reports." -- Biochemist, University
"I do not use it [STATISTICA] but I know they are quite reputable. We do not do that much in terms of statistical analysis." -- Research associate, University
"They [StatSoft] have complete data analysis systems. (…) I have a good image about the company. I am using it [STATISTICA] right now." -- Professor, University
"They are expanding the computer world." -- Director of Research and Science Affairs, Industry
"It's a very professional company. They [StatSoft] are a successful company with high ratings on their software." -- Research Associate, Industry
"I'm familiar with the company [StatSoft]. They sell statistical software." -- Professor of Bioscience, University
"They [StatSoft] have a statistical package. I have heard the name of this company. They are probably a very good company. If I were in the market for a new package, I'd look at this one [STATISTICA]." -- Associate Professor of Anatomy, University
"They [StatSoft] seem to have very good software." -- Research Associate, University
"This [STATISTICA] is good software. It is very comprehensive. You can pretty much do anything you need to do in statistics with this software." -- Vice President, Industry
"We use their product [STATISTICA]. It's a fairly sophisticated package. (…) I have a positive image of them [StatSoft]." -- Professor, University
"This [STATISTICA] is good statistical software." -- Asst. Professor, University
"They [StatSoft] are a company that is providing software for scientists. It's an international company that provides software products aimed towards researcher primarily using statistics. (…) I would love to have it [STATISTICA]. It's a little more updated than what we have currently." -- Research Chemist, VA Hospital
"I do not personally use their software [STATISTICA]. I know people that use and like it." -- Geneticist, Government
"They [StatSoft] are a company I've heard of before and this is supposed to be very good software that works great." -- Sr. Chemist, University
"This is an excellent company [StatSoft]. (…) They are outstanding, creative, and price efficient." -- Professor, University
STATISTICA was evaluated in a comprehensive (10-page) technical review published in "Kwantitatieve Methoden" (May 1998, No 58, pp 128138), a publication of "The Netherlands Society for Statistics and Operational Research." The authors praised practically all aspects of the program, including the selection of statistical methods (especially the procedures for industrial applications), graphics (which as they concluded "can without exaggeration be labeled as astounding"), the overall quality of the user-interface (which is "very user-friendly," "particularly well suited for analyzing data interactively" and which despite the large number of options "works well and fast" and is so easy to use that there is "no need whatsoever to discuss commands in the manual"), the capacity of STATISTICA to process large files ("can read extremely large records (up to 32,000 columns), which can be useful if automated quality control systems 'log' process data"), its comprehensive documentation ("with extensive overviews and examples") and the electronic documentation ("the multimedia show is impressive"), and the variety of programming and system customization and automation options offered in STATISTICA. Finally, the authors note that in published "comparative studies,… time and time again STATISTICA takes the first place."
In the 15th Annual "Quality Software Directory" published by Quality Progress (a publication of the American Society for Quality), the comprehensiveness of software solutions for quality control applications was compared in a tabulated list of features. The listing included both consulting firms that offer custom services and the manufacturers of quality control software systems such as StatSoft, Inc. and its competitors. In that table, the support for a particular type of functionality (e.g., Reliability, Sampling, Simulation, Process Control, Survey Techniques, Taguchi Techniques, etc.) was counted as one point.
As shown in the table below, STATISTICA has received a higher number of points than any of its competitors (publishers or manufacturers of statistics software for quality control).
STATISTICA has received the highest marks in another exceptionally positive review. In a comprehensive, technical evaluation of the program, two reviewers of Ergonomics in Design have high praise for practically all areas of the functionality of the STATISTICA system, including the comprehensiveness and sophistication of the computational procedures, graphics, data management, documentation, multimedia overviews, and the overall user-friendliness and efficiency of the application:
"STATISTICA includes a number of special features that are impressive (....) the size of supported analyses/designs that can be processed is larger than most other comparable software packages. (....) STATISTICA has outstanding graphing options (....) we were most impressed with the level of integration between numerical results and graphics (....) there are literally hundreds of specialized statistical graphs to display your results, and thousands of integrated graphics options (....) Learning to use STATISTICA was equally easy (....) You can obtain the basic output from each module with just a few mouse clicks or keystrokes. Consulting the manuals or even the context-sensitive electronic manual was not usually necessary (....) Now to the bottom line. Does it do what it claims to do? The answer is an unqualified "YES." (....) The price for STATISTICA is reasonable (…) STATISTICA will most certainly do more than you will ever have a use for, but it's comforting to find a single package that includes procedures that gives you what you're looking for. "
In a recent review in PC Professionale (a leading Italian computer magazine), the Italian version of STATISTICA for Windows was praised by the author, Antonio Cianci. Cianci praises the power and the refinement of STATISTICA, saying "the selection of functionalities and methods of analysis are broad, and they allow the user to perform practically every kind of statistical analysis on the data. (...) the number of choices is very impressive," and that "... for a ‘normal’ user the majority of the necessary instruments are still available in the Statistiche di Base (Basic Statistics) module..." [which contains only about 2% of the statistical procedures offered in the STATISTICA system]. About STATISTICA’s documentation he says, "The software is accompanied by a (either electronic or paper) documentation which is extremely high quality."
In short: "STATISTICA for Windows is a high level professional product, well-suited for professional users. The new Italian version allows users to work with extremely large amounts of data. The selection of functionalities and methods of analysis are broad, and they allow they user to perform practically every kind of statistical analysis on the data."
STATISTICA has received the Reader’s Choice Award and the highest rating (among statistics software packages, tied with SAS and SPSS) in a reader survey conducted by Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities. (Note that the readers of the Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities magazine know STATISTICA–unlike many of its competitors–only from other sources than that specific publication since StatSoft products have never been advertised in that publication.)