THE BASIC DAP README (See "INSTALL" for help on installation) 1. INTRODUCTION This directory and its subdirectories contain the source code for Dap, which is a small statistics and graphics package based on C. It provides core methods of data management, analysis, and graphics that are commonly used in statistical consulting practice. Anyone familiar with the basic syntax of C programs can learn to use Dap quickly and easily from the manual and the examples contained in it; advanced features of C are not necessary, although they are available. (The manual contains a brief introduction to the C syntax needed for Dap.) Because Dap processes files one line at a time, rather than reading entire files into memory, it can be, and has been, used on data sets that have very many lines and/or very many variables. Dap is a GNU program and is free software distributed under a GNU-style copyleft. 2. GOALS I wrote Dap to use in my statistical consulting practice because the utterly famous, industry standard statistics system (you know the one I mean) is not available on GNU/Linux and costs a bundle every year under a lease arrangement. I was generally happy with that system, except for the graphics, which were all but impossible to use, but there were a number of clumsy constructs left over from its ancient origins. Thus, I decided to mimic the core of the functionality of that system in the context of the C language, which allows much more programming flexibility. 3. DISCLAIMER The thing works (send bug reports to <sbassein@earthlink.net>), but there are some definite "home brew" aspects to Dap. Anyone wishing to beautify the computations of significances or other aspects, which appear to be correct but are done my own idiosyncratic way, has my blessing. If I ever get more time in the future to devote to that, I may do it myself, but since it all seems to work pretty well as is, there is not a whole lot of incentive for me to do so.
