PSPP developers!

[Paul and/or Minna Brown]

from the README file for PSPP:

"Questions and comments regarding PSPP can be sent to
address@hidden"  That is why this e-mail is
addressed as it is.

The following mail NOT ONLY has questions regarding
the use of PSPP, but ALSO contains comments
SPECIFICALLY for the PSPP developers.

It was rejected the first try by the list moderator
b/c it concerned PSPP usage.  Please try reading it
again, and see if you can't see why this should be
passed on to the developers.

-paul

--- Paul and/or Minna Brown <address@hidden>
wrote:

> hello!
> 
> I'm taking a Quantitative studies class where we're
> using SPSS to do some data analysis on a data set
> that's like maybe 1000x1000 (don't know how much
> that
> matters, if at all -- just saw some comment
> somewhere
> about large data sets, but somehow wouldn't think
> that
> really constitutes "large").
> 
> Before the class started I started getting familiar
> with PSPP, and did some quick install (can't really
> remember the details at this point), and was able to
> get the command line working, following the FAQ
> instructions, and started playing around with my own
> data file, etc...
> 
> But now I'm wanting to take the .sav file from class
> and use it, and now I'm stuck.  I can't seem to
> figure
> out how to use the .sav file (there are no
> instructions on how to do this as far as I can see),
> and anyway, wanted to see the GUI versio of PSPP
> just
> to see what it looks like, and also in hopes that it
> would have a nice FileOpen menu item for me to get
> that .sav file with.
> 
> NOW I'm frustrated 'cuz I can't figure out how on
> earth I'm supposed to start up the GUI.
> 
> In any case, in hopes of helping other hopeless
> cases
> such as myself in the future, I've tried to go thru
> the getting started process and write down some
> comments which maybe can help the developers know
> what
> kinds of questions come to the newbie's mind.
> 
> When reading the following, please keep in mind that
> I'm also a Linux -newbie, even though I'm a computer
> professional and started my career working with Unix
> and VAX systems.  Those days are just very distant
> at
> this point, and I haven't taken the time to
> necessarily "know what I'm doing" in the Linux
> environment -- just installing this and that when
> it's
> required for some package or other.  Which is e.g.
> the
> reason I have no idea what "C compiler and tool
> chain"
> I might have -- I know I've installed something at
> some point, and the compilations are obviously
> working...
> 
> So, for what it's worth, here's this, and hopefully
> you can shed some light on some of my problems?
> 
> THANKS!
> 
> oh, and if there's some time when there's likely to
> be
> folks on the #pspp channel, let me know -- I'm in
> the
> UTC+2 time zone...
> 
> -paul
> 
> #######################
> Trying to get PSPP to work
> 
> Before you install PSPP, you will need to install
> certain prerequisites:
> *An ANSI C compiler and tool chain.
> How can I tell?  Give me a package + version or
> SOMETHING!
> 
> *The GNU Scientific Library (GSL), version 1.6 or
> later, including libgslcblas included with GSL.
> Again, PACKAGE!!!  sudo apt-get install gsl, or
> what?
> gsl-bin: Version: 1.8-3build1
> libgsl0-dev: Version: 1.8-3build1
> 
> *Perl, version 5.005_03 or later. (Perl is required
> during build but not after installation.)
> How can I tell?  Give me a package + version or
> SOMETHING!
> perl: Version: 5.8.8-7build1
> 
> *pkg-config (only if you need to regenerate
> configure
> after modifying configure.ac).
> How can I tell?  Give me a package + version or
> SOMETHING!
> pkg-config: Version: 0.21-1build1
> 
> *Optional: libncurses. Without it, PSPP will assume
> it
> is running in an 80x25 terminal.
> How can I tell?  Give me a package + version or
> SOMETHING!
> libncurses5-dev: Version: 5.5-5ubuntu2
> 
> *Optional: libreadline and libhistory. Without them,
> interactive command editing and history features
> will
> be disabled.
> How can I tell?  Give me a package + version or
> SOMETHING!
> Following are AVAILABLE.....
> Package libreadline-java
> Package libreadline-java-doc
> Package libreadline-ruby
> Package libreadline-ruby1.6
> Package libreadline-ruby1.8
> Package libreadline-ruby1.9
> Package libreadline4
> Package libreadline4-dbg
> Package libreadline4-dev
> Package libreadline5
> Package libreadline5-dbg
> Package libreadline5-dev
> 
> HAVE: readline-common: Version: 5.2-2ubuntu1
> 
> 
> *Optional: libplot (from GNU plotutils). Without it,
> graphing features will not work. If you do not have
> it
> installed, you must run configure with
> --without-libplot.
> How can I tell?  Give me a package + version or
> SOMETHING!
> plotutils: Version: 2.4.1-15
> libplot-dev: Version: 2.4.1-15
> 
> *Optional: GTK+ version 2.6.0 or later, plus
> libglade
> 2.0 or later. Without them, the GUI will not be
> built.
> If you do not have these installed, you must run
> configure with --without-gui.
> How can I tell?  Give me a package + version or
> SOMETHING!
> 
> glade: Version: 2.12.1-6ubuntu2
> libglade2-dev: Version: 1:2.6.0-3
> libgtk2.0-dev Version: 2.10.11-0ubuntu3
> 
> BTW, INSTALL file mentions dependency on GNU diff,
> but
> it is not mentioned in the install instructions in
> the
> FAQ.  Also, the INSTALL file differs from the FAQ
> install instructions in other ways as well -- the
> INSTALL file doesn't mention nearly as many
> dependencies as the FAQ does.
> 
> AH, also, say (as in this case) that I had already
> tried (and perhaps successfully) to install PSPP
> once,
> but then later decided maybe I didn't have all the
> requisites, or decided I wanted to add some of the
> ones I didn't have the first time.  Can I just get
> the
> required packages and then run the whole install
> process over again (./configure --> make --> make
> check --> make install), OR do I need to run some
> sort
> of "start over from scratch" script?
> 
> NOW, assuming I have all the right packages already
> installed....
> 
> ./configure -- should I be concered about the
> output,
> or will the last few lines tell me whether or not
> everything went ok?  What if they didn't?  What are
> some possible problems I might run into?  Do I need
> to
> worry about "warnings"?  HEY! Just found a comment
> in
> the INSTALL file - there IS a log created which I
> can
> check, but still nothing about how concerned to be
> about what type of warnings or whatever.
> 
> make -- same questions.  Should I go thru the output
> after this is thru running?  Look for Warnings? 
> Errors?  Or can I just look at the last lines?
> LOTS of warnings, and LOTS of output -- so much, in
> fact, that my terminal can't scroll back that far...
> 
> make check -- I would assume that here it would be a
> good idea to look for FAILs, but again, some help in
> routing output and grepping the output file would be
> nice...  I got the randdist failure that was
> mentioned
> somewhere in maillist archives, which I stumbled
> across ACCIDENTALLY - otherwise I might be
> concerned.
> 
> make install -- same questions.
> 
> And.... NOW WHAT???!!!  How do I start up the GUI? 
> Sorry I'm so stupid, but there are NO instructions
> for
> this!
> 
> ARGH.  INSTALL mentions that any options you could
> pass to configure should be mentioned in the README
> file, but there are none mentioned there, afaics.
> 
> At this point I *think* I have PSPP installed just
> fine, with all the necessary bits to get the GUI
> working, but I have NO clue how to get the GUI
> working!
> 
> I can follow the FAQ instructions and get the
> command
> line version working on some little data files I've
> made up myself, but I have an SPSS .sav file I'd
> like
> to use as the data file, and have not been
> successful
> in figuring out how to do that.  I thought perhaps
> if
> I could start the GUI, there would be some sort of
> "File-Open" option that I could use to open the .sav
> file.
> #######################



       
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