JOE@oregon.uoregon.edu (04/10/90)
More notes on the NeXT and the SAS User's Group International conference: One of the ways SAS Institute prioritizes future SAS System development efforts is by reviewing responses to a survey of SAS System users called the SASWare Ballot. This year's SASWare Ballot included an item of some interest to NeXT users: FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE SAS SYSTEM Rank Item (number of votes received) ---------------------------------------------- 1. Port SAS System for the Macintosh (880) 2. Provide CASE Package (600) 3. Provide EIS Package (489) 4. Provide Lab Analysis Package (482) 5. Provide Financial App Package (413) 6. Provide Marketing Information System (314) 7. Port SAS System for the AS/400 (282) 8. Provide Auditing Package (203) 9. PORT SAS SYSTEM FOR THE NEXT (177) ********************** 10. Provide Stock Quote Package (153) 11. Provide Real Time Financial Data Collection Package (134) 12.5 Port SAS System for the HP3000 w. MPE (31) 12.5 Port SAS System for Tek Workstations (31) 14. Port SAS System for Motorola 88000 Systems (29) 15.5 Port SAS System for the DG Aviion (21) 15.5 Port SAS System for the NCR Tower (21) 17. Port SAS System for the Prime XCL (12) [The above descriptions of these items are summarized versions of the actual item texts -- keep in mind I was copying these babies down manually while jockeying for visual access to the poster where these results were displayed! Nonetheless, I believe they capture the essence of the ballot items.] I find it gratifying that the NeXT did better than a number of other systems, including some systems which the Institute has already committed to supporting as part of their "first family" and "second family" of UNIX platforms. It is also interesting that the Macintosh, with its vast number of users, was only able to draw four or five times the number of votes that the adolescent NeXT was able to garner... For those of you who'd like to talk with SAS about their NeXT plans, I was told by an individual in the SAS NeXT demo area that Susan Cross of SAS Institute is the marketing type you want to buttonhole. Unfortunately, despite making two seperate efforts to do so, I was unable to track her down at the conference. If you are interested in seeing SAS on the NeXT, as I am, you may want to try to track her down at SAS's headquarters in Cary, NC. Note, though, that many SAS Institute staffers who attend SUGI schedule their vacations immediately thereafter so you may want to give it a week or two before attempting to contact her. Joe St Sauver (JOE@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU or JOE@OREGON) DISCLAIMER: I don't work for SAS Institute; all I know is what I saw and was told at SUGI; who knows what will really happen -- god knows I don't.