HAMER@VCUVAX.BITNET (ROBERT M. HAMER) (02/28/90)
In its February 26 issue, beginning on page 59, InfoWorld reviewed several statistical software entities, namel, Minitab 7.1, SPSS/PC+ 3.1, Statgraphics 4.0, Systat/Sysgraph 4.1. They state in the introductory material (page 59), "SAS Institute once again declined to have us review SAS/PC (we evaluated the package in our September 1, 1986, roundup, but they did not participate in the 1988 comparison). SAS/PC is not reviewed because the company insisited on direct contact with the reviewer during the review process. The vendor claimed that the degree of personal contact it has with its users is so high that without this contact, our review could not represent the package fairly. InfoWorld's policy is to maintain reviewer anonymity to ensure that the reviewer receives the same treatment as a typical buyer would, and we also prefer to ensure our Review Board members are not lobbied by vendors during the review process. OUr reviewer, who is experienced with SAS products on multiple platforms, is fully able to independently and competently review the package. Having reached this impass, SAS declined to participate." I typed this in without an editor (bad mistake) so any typos are mine. Posted without comment.
CONJPM@UCSCVM.BITNET (Jim Mulherin) (03/01/90)
I think it is a clash of corporate cultures and regional cultures. I hope someone may be in a position to mediate it, because InfoWorld's readers and potential SAS customers both lose because of this ongoing impasse. SAS is different than other stat package vendors. SAS users really do establish, use, and benefit greatly from an ongoing relationship with SI. That is where SI is digging in its heels, insisting that the support people get in using the product, fixing problems, etc., is key to their product. InfoWorld comes out of the almost anarchist Bay Area culture with a strong sense of independence from the moguls of the mainframe way of doing things. (I have been a subscriber since the beginning when it was a populist tabloid and would go off on all sorts on anti-bigness crusades unrelated to computing.... Ah those were heady days!) A similar spirit of anti-bigness, anti-centralized computing dominates the computing culture of the university where the reviewer works, UCSB, another branch of the UC system where I work. I think it might be worth our while, maybe through BASAS, Bay Area SAS users group, to see if we can work out an arrangement both organizations can live with.