Michael Carney
>
> Hello all--I'm curious about the merits of stata release 8.
> as a student, it
> will cost me quite a bit to upgrade and I would like to
> know a bit more
> about the benefits over Stata 7 (other than the news on the
> Stata web site,
> of course). Though it does appear more user friendly at
> first glance, is the
> new more "minitab-like" interface really worth the cost? Thanks....
>
I don't see how this question can be answered
for Michael without knowing how important
having a GUI is for him. In any case, I think
users will need some weeks playing with
the GUI to be able to get a good impression
of its strengths and limitations.
Stata 8 is a big deal, just like any new
release, but in addition to what is publicised
on the website, here are a few extra points.
1. Stata can be upgraded over the net very
easily. There will now be many further
additions from Stata Corp, even over the next
year. A new release is important because
it is tied to a new edition of the Stata
documentation and to cash flows to
Stata Corporation, but development
continues between releases and major
additions to Stata are often published
between releases.
2. However, Stata 7 and earlier releases will not
be maintained. New features will not
be added for those versions. Bug fixes
will not be directly available for those
versions.
3. The keenest user-programmers will be
upgrading to Stata 8 immediately and
very quickly many of the programs
released by such users will be written
for Stata 8. This will apply strongly
e.g. to graphics but also more generally.
For example, Stata 8 includes various
programming language enhancements
which will make use of version 8 features
attractive. This is of course only
important if you download such programs.
Nick
[email protected]
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