It depends on what you want to do. Sure, for learning about factor
analysis, it's fun to write your own fortran programs. It's also a
good way to learn to use IMSL routines. If you're heading towards
work in methodology and software development, it might be instructive
to write such a program.
But for applied factor analysis--why reinvent the wheel? Any program
you write using fortran and IMSL routines probably won't be as good as
what one finds with SAS or SPSS. I have written my own factor
analysis routines in fortran. But in most research situations, I'm
far more likely to use SAS PROC FACTOR than my own program.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Uebersax, PhD (805) 384-7688
Thousand Oaks, California (805) 383-1726 (fax)
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Existential Psych: http://members.aol.com/spiritualpsych
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Aron Landy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:<3b8b6418$0$8507$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> Any ideas, anyone? I am thinking of using IMSL (which comes free with Compaq
> Visual Fortran). Can I do better?
>
> Aron Landy
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