R and SPSS difference
I will be analysing vast amount of network traffic related data shortly, and will pre-process the data in order to analyse it. I have found that R and SPSS are among the most popular tools for statistical analysis. I will also be generating quite a lot of graphs and charts. Therefore, I was wondering what is the basic difference between these two softwares.
I am not asking which one is better, but just wanted to know what are the difference in terms of workflow between the two (besides the fact that SPSS has a GUI). I will be mostly working with scripts in either case anyway so I wanted to know about the other differences.
Answer
Here is something that I posted to the R-help mailing list a while back, but I think that it gives a good high level overview of the general difference in R and SPSS:
When talking about user friendlyness of computer software I like the analogy of cars vs. busses:
Busses are very easy to use, you just need to know which bus to get on, where to get on, and where to get off (and you need to pay your fare). Cars on the other hand require much more work, you need to have some type of map or directions (even if the map is in your head), you need to put gas in every now and then, you need to know the rules of the road (have some type of drivers licence). The big advantage of the car is that it can take you a bunch of places that the bus does not go and it is quicker for some trips that would require transfering between busses.
Using this analogy programs like SPSS are busses, easy to use for the standard things, but very frustrating if you want to do something that is not already preprogrammed.
R is a 4-wheel drive SUV (though environmentally friendly) with a bike on the back, a kayak on top, good walking and running shoes in the pasenger seat, and mountain climbing and spelunking gear in the back.
R can take you anywhere you want to go if you take time to leard how to use the equipment, but that is going to take longer than learning where the bus stops are in SPSS.
There are GUIs for R that make it a bit easier to use, but also limit the functionality that can be used that easily. SPSS does have scripting which takes it beyond being a mere bus, but the general phylosophy of SPSS steers people towards the GUI rather than the scripts.