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We here at Stata are often asked to make recommendations on the “best” computer on which to run Stata, and such discussions sometimes pop up on Statalist. Of course, there is no simple answer, as it depends on the analyses a given user wishes to run, the size of their datasets, and their budget. And, we do not recommend particular computer or operating system vendors. Many manufacturers use similar components in their computers, and the choice of operating system comes down to personal preference of the user. We take pride in making sure Stata works well regardless of operating system and hardware configuration.

For some users, the analyses they wish to run are demanding, the datasets they have are huge, and their budgets are large. For these users, it is useful to know what kind of off-the-shelf hardware they can easily get their hands on. To give you an idea of what is available, HP makes a server with up to 1 TB of memory. Yes, 1 terabyte! This computer can be configured and ordered online at hp.com. Read more…

The 2011 Mexican Stata Users Group meeting has been scheduled for May 12, 2011.

The Mexican Stata Users Group meeting is a one-day international conference about the use of Stata in a wide breadth of fields and environments, mixing theory and practice. The bulk of the conference is made up of selected submitted presentations. Together with the keynote address and a featured presentation by a member of StataCorp’s technical staff, these sessions provide fertile ground for learning about statistics and Stata. All users are encouraged to submit abstracts for possible presentations.

For the full meeting details, submission guidelines, and registration information, please see www.stata.com/meeting/mexico11/.

Scientific committee:

Alfonso Miranda (chair)
Institute of Education, University of London
Email: [email protected]

Armando Sánchez Vargas
Institute for Economic Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico
Email: [email protected]

Graciela Teruel Belismelis
Economics Department, Iberoamerican University
Email: [email protected]

Logistics organizer:

MultiON Consulting SA de CV, distributor of Stata in Mexico and Central America
Victoria Leon
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +52 (55) 5559 4050 x 160

StataCorp will have a booth in the exhibit hall at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting & Exposition.

APHA’s 2010 meeting will be in Denver, Colorado, from November 6 through 10. For more information, visit www.apha.org/meetings/highlights/.

Stata representatives, including Roberto G. Gutierrez, Director of Statistics, will be available at the Stata booth to answer your questions about all things Stata. Stop by booth #1603 to visit with the people who develop and support the software and to get 20% off your purchase of Stata Press books and Stata Journal subscriptions.

Also make plans to attend our brief seminar, “Stata 11: Statistical Software for the Health Sciences”, led by Roberto G. Gutierrez. The workshop will be held Monday, November 8, at 4:00 PM in the APHA Exhibitor Theatre, booth #2093.

When Stata first started back in 1985, communicating with users–well, back then they were potential users because we didn’t have any users yet–was nearly impossible.

From the beginning, we were very modern. Back in 1985, there were competing packages, but no one (not even me) expected personal computers to replace the mainframe. Back then, about the best that could be said about the available statistical packages is that they worked (sometimes) for some problems. What made Stata different was our belief and attitude that personal computers could actually be better than the mainframe for some problems. That in itself was a radical idea! In the mainstream, mainframe computer world, there was a popular saying: Little computers for little minds.

And we’ve stayed modern since then. Stata was (in 1999) the first statistical package to have online updating and an automated, modern, Internet way to handle user-written code. Modern Statas not only have that, but can use datasets directly off the web. But we have fallen behind! It’s 2010, and StataCorp doesn’t have a corporate blog!

Well, we do now.

Well, that may not be the most exciting announcement we’ve ever made. But our blog will be authored by the same people who develop Stata, support Stata, and yes, sell Stata. It will be useful, and it might be more entertaining than you suspect. If it is, that will be because of the people writing it.

Welcome to Not Elsewhere Classified, the Stata blog.

Here we will try to keep you up-to-date about all things related to Stata Statistical Software. That includes not only product announcements from StataCorp and others, but timely tips (and sometimes comments) on other news related to the use of Stata.

Many entries will be signed by members of the StataCorp staff.

If you have any tips or comments for us, email [email protected].