From 2f4725c158696dab49bb87d0ee18b0016190ec12 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Ben Pfaff Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2005 01:59:25 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Talk about PSPP long-term goals. --- README | 58 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 57 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README b/README index ed5412a8..298f70df 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ PSPP is a program for statistical analysis of sampled data. It interprets commands in the SPSS language and produces tabular output -in ASCII or PostScript format. +in ASCII, PostScript, or HTML format. PSPP development is ongoing. It already supports a large subset of SPSS's transformation language. Its statistical procedure support is @@ -19,3 +19,59 @@ Questions and comments regarding PSPP can be sent to pspp-dev@gnu.org. PSPP bug reports may be sent to bug-gnu-pspp@gnu.org or filed in the bug-tracking system at http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=pspp according to your preference. + +The long term goals for PSPP are ambitious. We wish to provide the +following support to users: + + * All of the SPSS transformation language. PSPP already + supports a large subset of it. + + * All the statistical procedures that someone is willing to + implement, whether they exist in SPSS or not. Currently, + statistical support is limited, but growing. + + * Compatibility with SPSS syntax, including compatibility with + known bugs and warts, where it makes sense. We also provide + an "enhanced" mode in certain cases where PSPP can output + better results that may surprise SPSS users. + + * Friendly textual and graphical interfaces. PSPP does not do + a good job of this yet. + + * Attractive output, including graphs, in a variety of human- + and machine-readable formats. PSPP currently produces + output in ASCII, PostScript, and HTML formats. We will + enhance PSPP's output formatting in the future. + + * Good documentation. Currently the PSPP manual describes its + language completely, but we would like to add information on + how to select statistical procedures and interpret their + results. + + * Efficient support for very large data sets. For procedures + where it is practical, we wish to efficiently support data + sets many times larger than physical memory. The framework + for this feature is already in place, but it has not been + tuned or extensively tested. + +Over the long term, we also wish to provide support to developers who +wish to extend PSPP with new statistical procedures, by supplying the +following: + + * Easy-to-use support for parsing language syntax. Currently, + parsing is done by writing "recursive descent" code by hand, + with some support for automated parsing of the most common + constructs. We wish to improve the situation by supplying a + more complete and flexible parser generator. + + * Easy-to-use support for producing attractive output. + Currently, output is done by writing code to explicitly fill + in table cells with data. We should be able to supply a + more convenient interface that also allows for providing + machine-readable output. + + * Eventually, a plug-in interface for procedures. Over the + short term, the interface between the PSPP core and + statistical procedures is evolving quickly enough that a + plug-in model does not make sense. Over the long term, it + may make sense to introduce plug-ins. -- 2.30.2