Hi Brandon, I just read this book, which I am sure you will be interested in: http://www.amazon.com/SAS-SPSS-Users-Statistics-Computing/dp/0387094172
Cheers!! Albert-Jan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- On Tue, 3/2/10, Brandon Zicha <brandon.zi...@ua.ac.be> wrote: From: Brandon Zicha <brandon.zi...@ua.ac.be> Subject: Re: [R] two questions for R beginner To: r-help@r-project.org Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 12:31 PM >>> What were your biggest misconceptions or >>> stumbling blocks to getting up and running >>> with R? Easy. I terms of materials I have been unable to find good books that introduce users to R from the perspective of someone familiar only with packages like SPSS or STATA, or not familiar with statistics packages at all. Even introduction texts use jargon without introducing it. I think that R-help files should be more thorough than they are, and contain more examples. I thought that STATA help files were sparse! The notion that 'R is a user community and thus they do this in their spare time' is no excuse for those creating new tools for R not developing complete help files. It doesn't take that much time relative to actually creating the new function. In terms of actual R use - creating, using, and manipulating data are the biggest frustration for those of the 'spreadsheet generation'. I get the impression that one needs to not merely understand, but be fully fluent in the jargon of matrix mathematics to even know what is going on half the time. I find myself - even now - using 'rules of thumb' that 'seemed to work' rather than fully understanding what I am doing. It is particularly discouraging when many of those 'intro books' suggest using something besides R for data manipulation - how clumsy is that!? I find the actual programming syntax itself is the easiest part to master. It is certainly more flexible - but without a particularly sufficient increase in complexity - than trying to write script in SPSS and STATA. Brandon Zicha ______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
