Just a quick note about customer base. The single user base may be
dominated by MS, but the institutional user base may be dominated by forms
of Unix. And, as most (but not all) individuals are also connected to
some instititution, it is not clear that there are big advantages to
windows marketing--especially if users end up hating the software because
they think it is too buggy (for the reasons in my earlier post). It'd be
great to see some actual numbers on this, though.
Sam
On Mon, 6 Oct 2003, Philip Ryan wrote:
> Presumably StatCorp's business plan would at the very least take into account
> the size of the customer base using (or forced to use) MS operating systems. I,
> however, wish to take up Nick's point about the unduly harsh consequence of
> Fred's missing comma. What is Stata's behaviour when the same syntax is
> presented under MacOS or under any of the flavours of Unix? [I can't test - we
> are pretty much a closed MS shop.]
>
> Phil
>
>
>
>
> Quoting SamL <[email protected]>:
>
> > Just a quick note. What was Stata thinking (by investing in a Windows
> > version)? I know, I know, lots of people use Windows. But, that the
> > machine crashes probably has nothing to do with Stata. It is quite likely
> > that some or many of those people writing Stata about the machine crashing
> > when Stata does something have the same problem whenever they use *any*
> > non-MS software--netscape, WordPerfect, anything. That has been my
> > experience with *every* windows operating system since MS "superceded"
> > Windows 3.1--the last one where you could easily switch out to DOS.
> >
> > Windows crashes at the slightest wind. Every release is promised to be
> > stable, and every release fails. A major reason for this is MS *never*
> > tells non-MS programmers all the rules of Windows, so that non-MS
> > programmers will necessarily write software that will at times clash with
> > some arcane Windows rule (and crash or hang the system). And, MS
> > incompetence means even their own non-OS software, hastily written, poorly
> > tested, and user-unfriendly, also crashes constantly.
> >
> > MS used the former mentioned predatory technique and others at the outset,
> > and continues to do so. I hope Stata will not end up diverting more and
> > more energy and investment to the impossible task of writing stable
> > software for an OS for which Stata will never receive complete
> > documentation. Instead, I hope Stata pays equal or more attention to
> > writing for operating systems that are designed for users to get work done
> > (e.g., linux) as opposed to operating systems designed to maintain the
> > dominance of one northwestern U.S. corporation. It is only by this
> > approach that Stata will avoid getting bogged down into the quagmire of
> > spending more and more effort just trying to get the menus right on the
> > screen, and will be able instead to steadily introduce truly useful
> > advances (e.g., more models, more options, more presentation quality
> > stuff--more more more!).
> >
> > Not to start an MS-war, but something *had* to be said re: the thread
> > about windows crashing when something is changed.
> >
> > Respectfully,
> >
> > Sam
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 5 Oct 2003, Nick Cox wrote:
> >
> > > Fred Wolfe
> > >
> > > > This is to report a graph box problem, Stata se 8.1, up to
> > > > date, windows 2000
> > > >
> > > > This line works
> > > > graph box peuro eq5d5 eq5d5sf sfindex euroqol
> > > >
> > > > Addition of the second line crashes Stata and throws me out
> > > > to operating
> > > > system.
> > > >
> > > > graph box peuro eq5d5 eq5d5sf sfindex euroqol ///
> > > > legend( label(1 "HAQ") label(2 "EQ5D5") label(3 "EQ5D5-SF") label(4
> > > > "SF-6D") label(5 "EuroQol"))
> > > >
> > > > The legend line worked perfectly in other non-box graphs.
> > >
> > > There is nothing wrong with the -legend()- call.
> > > However, you need a comma before the option, i.e.
> > > just before or just after the "///".
> > >
> > > Crashing may seem a little disproportionate
> > > here as a response to this small syntax error.
> > >
> > > However, as far as Stata is concerned
> > >
> > > legend( label(1 "HAQ") label(2 "EQ5D5") label(3 "EQ5D5-SF") label(4
> > > "SF-6D") label(5 "EuroQol"))
> > >
> > > is all part of your varlist, and for other reasons parentheses ( )
> > > are allowed as part of a varlist specification.
> > >
> > > My wild guess is that Stata is thrown by the _nesting_ of
> > > parentheses -- in, as said, what it thinks is a varlist.
> > >
> > > Nick
> > > [email protected]
> > >
> > > *
> > > * For searches and help try:
> > > * http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
> > > * http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
> > > * http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
> > >
> > *
> > * For searches and help try:
> > * http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
> > * http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
> > * http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
> >
>
>
> --
> Philip Ryan
> Associate Professor
> Department of Public Health
> University of Adelaide
> 5005 South Australia
> AUSTRALIA
> CRICOS Provider Number 00123M
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