HISTORY of StatSoft and its Major Product Lines

Past, Present, Future
1984. The company was established in 1984 as a partnership of a group of university professors and scientists. Although their research interests were in different areas of quantitative data analysis, they had one thing in common: In order to analyze data from their own research, they each had to develop custom statistical procedures, which were either not available on the market or available only in command-driven, inflexible, and tedious-to-use mainframe (or mainframe-like) programs.

The company started with only five employees; its first products (PsychoStat-2 and PsychoStat-3, designed mainly for natural and social scientists) included menu-driven libraries of flexible statistical procedures integrated with data management. The programs could run with only 64k of memory, were available in versions for all microcomputer platforms (including Apple II, CP/M, Commodore, and PC DOS 1.0), and due to their flexibility and ease of use, they quickly gained in popularity.

1985. StatSoft started to grow rapidly. In 1985 it was incorporated following the release of its first general market product: Statistical Supplement for Lotus 1-2-3 (the first statistics add-on for the Lotus spreadsheet, later released in a stand-alone version as STATS+). In the same year, StatSoft released StatFast, which was the very first statistics package released for the newly introduced Apple Macintosh. The program offered a selection of basic statistics and graphs integrated with a data editor and could run even on a 128k Macintosh with a single floppy drive.

1986. Following the success of the Statistical Supplement for Lotus 1-2-3 and StatFast programs, two new units (the Analytical Graphics group and the Numerical Optimization group) were added to the StatSoft Research and Development Department in the spring of 1986. In this new organizational structure, the work began on a new project: expanding and integrating all existing StatSoft lines of software into the large statistical CSS (Complete statistical System), featuring specialized modules for all areas of statistics in business, science, and engineering.

1987. In the fall of 1987, StatSoft released the first part of CSS, a comprehensive statistical system featuring advanced memory management, low-level numerical optimizations, and custom-designed input/output technology, which were largely responsible for the program's unmatched speed. This first part of CSS (statistics and data management only) included prototypes of many of the unique features of input, output, and analysis control (e.g., Scrollsheets) that were further developed in the subsequent releases of the program and later became trademarks of StatSoft software technology.

1988. In the fall of 1988, StatSoft released a version of CSS featuring the first prototype mechanism of a unique integration between numerical results and graphics. The new graphical features of the program were so well received by customers that the company decided to expand the Analytical Graphics group of its Research and Development Department and to invest more in the development of the graphics aspects of the system (the major result of this decision was the new graphics technology introduced in 1991 in the STATISTICA line of software, see below).

One of the many unique features of CSS was the comprehensiveness and quality of the statistical procedures (that were developed by experts from the respective fields of research or practice). For example, the general ANOVA/MANOVA module featured a version of the well known Ganova algorithm (written by J.A. Woodward and M.L. Brecht from UCLA); the Quality Control and Process Analysis modules have been continuously updated and improved based on the reviews and suggestions of experienced engineers practicing SPC in various actual production environments. In 1988, the company also released a more powerful program for the Macintosh: MacSS (Macintosh statistical System).

1988-1990. These years were marked by a steady increase in the popularity and recognition of the CSS line of software. The company received many quantity orders from major corporations and universities. The demand for StatSoft products overseas also grew rapidly. In 1988, StatSoft of Europe - the first StatSoft foreign sales office was opened in Hamburg, Germany [(later incorporated as: StatSoft (Europe) GmbH)]. At the same time, all resources of the company were devoted to the development of a new, advanced line of statistics software: STATISTICA, which was designed to offer new levels of functionality not available at that time in any data analysis software. More than 60% of StatSoft revenues were devoted at that time to research and development (more than four times the industry average). In 1990, StatSoft, Inc. rejected a major offer from one of the largest software companies which intended to acquire the STATISTICA technology; StatSoft, Inc. decided to remain an independent company.

1991. The first (DOS) version of STATISTICA (a new, graphically oriented line of statistics software) was released in March 1991. STATISTICA/DOS offered the largest selection of graphics in a single system available on the market and a number of technological advantages unmatched by any other software for any microcomputer or mainframe platform. The program's numerical optimizations of many procedures enabled the users to process extremely large data sets (and designs) on inexpensive PCs; at the same time, most of its accuracy-sensitive procedures featured so-called extended (or quadruple) precision, which can be matched only by arbitrary-precision math programs. Its proprietary input/output technology, coupled with virtual memory management, allowed for the analysis of designs that required as much as 300 megabytes of memory (RAM or active work space). The program's extremely fast data management could handle an unlimited number of records containing up to 32,000 variables (or up to 8 megabytes) per record. The selection of its graphs, the level of their integration with numerical results, and the on-screen customization and multigraphics management options in STATISTICA/DOS placed it beyond any other software product in its category available on the market. STATISTICA/DOS was one of the most successful vertical market applications. Some of its unique features and user interface solutions have become standards for statistical and analytical graphics software.

1992. The Macintosh version of STATISTICA repeated the success of its DOS counterpart: Only two months after STATISTICA/Mac was first shipped (in January 1992), the results of a survey of a random sample of 1,000 readers of MacWORLD placed it on the list of the best products in its class (MacWORLD's "World-Class Award" survey). STATISTICA/Mac also quickly gained popularity overseas; for example, it is the first statistical software package for the Macintosh that was available in Japanese.

1993. The new Windows version of STATISTICA, pre-released in 1993 (version 4.0, see below). Represented the crowning achievement of the Research and Development Department of StatSoft, Inc. This product, which was the result of a three-year large-scale development project, was not merely a "Windows conversion of a DOS program," but the first statistics package that offered true MDI (Multi-Document Interface) handling of the output and took full advantage of Windows' object-oriented technology. Its data, results, and graph windows could be treated as objects and converted into one another in a number of ways. The graphics technology (e.g., proprietary resolution enhancement, smart zoom, and region selection procedures) and its integration with numerical output, the flawlessness of the user interface of STATISTICA, and the capacity and speed of its computational modules all set new standards for numerical and graphical analysis software.

1994-1998: The reception of STATISTICA - 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, '97 Edition, and '98 Edition. The initial release of STATISTICA for Windows (4.0) was followed by releases 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, '97 Edition, and '98 Edition, and they continued to set the new performance, quality, capacity, and comprehensiveness standards for statistics, graphics, and analytic data management software. With each release, the response of users was consistently and overwhelmingly positive. All reviewers of STATISTICA for Windows unanimously evaluated it as the best and most powerful statistics software on the market. Further, even as of this printing, STATISTICA has received the highest rating in EVERY comparative review of statistics software in which it has been featured; in the entire history of the software industry, very few products have ever achieved that record. This includes comparative reviews of statistics software in virtually all major computer journals and magazines that have reviewed statistics software (e.g., PC Magazine, PC World, BYTE), many specialized professional publications (e.g., Biotechnology Software, Scientific Computing, and periodicals in the area of quality control), articles written by statisticians (e.g., NATURE, Statistical Papers) and users of statistics (e.g., Government Computer News), and also many Reader's Choice Awards based on surveys conducted by the editors.

The American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) catalog of recommended books and software (1996) calls STATISTICA "the hands-down winner of competitive comparisons by independent firms" (page 71).

In his review of STATISTICA, Harvey Kaye (the author of Decision Power) concluded: "STATISTICA has the best user interface I have seen in a program. (...) The design of the program is remarkable... Five other statistics programs on the market all claim to be the best. Only STATISTICA dares to compare. They give you actual performance comparisons and explain the limitations of each competitor's program. (...) After trying STATISTICA for myself, I can see why they are so confident. This program is a software engineering superstar."

In the summary of a comparative review of statistics packages with graphics capabilities and technical graphics programs, the editors of PC Graphics & Video concluded: "Pure and simple, StatSoft's STATISTICA 4.5 is the king of data visualization tools." (August, 1995).

STATISTICA 5.0, which was released in the fall of 1995, automatically configures itself for Windows 95/NT or the older version of Windows (3.1) and features a large number of new statistics and graphics procedures, a word-processor-style output editor of unlimited capacity (combining tables and graphs), and a built-in professional development environment that enables the user to easily design new procedures (e.g., via the included, comprehensive STATISTICA Basic language) and integrate them with the STATISTICA system.

Alan Fridlund entitled his InfoWORLD review of STATISTICA 5.0 "Sophisticated STATISTICA is a slick jackof- all-trades: Wealth of features easy to access," and concluded: "StatSoft's STATISTICA release 5.0 is a head-turner. It's a statistical package so chock full of statistical analyses, graphs, and helpful features that it's bewildering to behold. (...) STATISTICA has the earmarks of a breakthrough package." (InfoWORLD, October 30, 1995, page 106).

STATISTICA 5.1 was released in the first quarter of 1996 and was followed by STATISTICA '97 and '98 editions. Some of the many new features added to the already comprehensive list in STATISTICA 5.0 were state-of-the-art implementations of Correspondence analysis, Variance components, Classification trees, a powerful development environment (and new functions in STATISTICA Basic), several hours of unique, multimedia training materials, and comprehensive HTML (Internet) support.

ENTER (a leading Polish computer magazine) stated: "It is hard to imagine anything better. This program is simply ingenious." (June '97, p.45). Scientific Computing World (a leading European scientific computing monthly) summarized: "Most statistical software ... are ... serving as a specialist component on a desktop built from standard applications. STATISTICA is likely to reverse this, for those teams that can use it to the full, becoming the central core around which the mainstream desktop reorganizes itself. The review group found that by the end of one project, that spreadsheet and database had been reduced to buffers between STATISTICA equivalents and other desktops. Graphics packages became redundant for project related work, with output going directly to word processor, presentation software or DTP. (...) STATISTICA '97 edition is a massive and impressive toolset that redefines software relationships within a statistics-oriented environment" (June '97, pp. 37-38).

An article entitled "The Program That Can: STATISTICA Pleases Professionals" in the December 1997 issue of Quality Digest evaluated virtually all aspects of STATISTICA Industrial System (STATISTICA 5.1 with STATISTICA Industrial System) in the most positive terms: "As with all sections, the (QC) tools are solid, well designed, reliable, and comprehensive. (...) The program's capabilities are too extensive to detail in a short review."

In a comprehensive, technical evaluation of the program, two reviewers in the April 1998 issue of Ergonomics in Design had high praise for practically all areas of the functionality of the STATISTICA system: "STATISTICA includes a number of special features that are impressive (...) we were most impressed with the level of integration between numerical results and graphics (...) there are literally hundreds of specialized statistical graphs to display your results, and thousands of integrated graphics options (...) Learning to use STATISTICA was equally easy (...) Consulting the manuals or even the context-sensitive electronic manual was not usually necessary (...) Now to the bottom line. Does it do what it claims to do? The answer is an unqualified "YES." (...) The price for STATISTICA is reasonable (...) STATISTICA will most certainly do more than you will ever have a use for, but it's comforting to find a single package that includes procedures that give you what you're looking for."

In a comprehensive evaluation of STATISTICA 5.1 published in the November 1998 issue of Scientific Data Management (Software Reviews), practically all aspects of the functionality of the program received the highest marks. Scientific Data Management called STATISTICA "a very powerful and amazingly flexible product. If anything, it is almost too flexible and you are overwhelmed by choice ... this is a heavy weight package by any definition ... this is an excellent product and provides an amazing range of features and customization with stunning graphics."

For a complete listing and summaries of published reviews, please refer to Journal Reviews of STATISTICA located on the StatSoft Website.

At StatSoft, we very much appreciate these extremely positive evaluations of our products in published magazine reviews. However, the most valuable feedback for us are the opinions of the users of our software, because the users put the programs through the most reliable and most valid tests of all: real-world applications. A comprehensive sample of more than 500 comments from users who authorized StatSoft to quote their opinions (representing a wide variety of statistics applications in science, business, education, and manufacturing) is featured on the StatSoft Web site. The next section also includes an authorized report of results of a survey (conducted on behalf of SCIENCE magazine) that provides information on how StatSoft's products are perceived by a randomly selected sample of researchers, scientists, and administrators of science.

1995-1998: A transition to enterprise computing. Since its first release in 1993, the STATISTICA line of software has dynamically grown not only in terms of its analytic power and comprehensiveness but also its customizability, programmability, compatibility, and connectivity with other applications and especially with other components of enterprise computer environments. Over that period of time, the StatSoft Research and Development department was working closely with its corporate clients and remained as responsive as ever to the evolving needs of the market that started looking for new, "integrative" qualities of software. Significant development efforts and investments were devoted to make STATISTICA the most powerful and easy to deploy analytic tool for enterprise environments, where a tight integration with centralized data warehouses and flexible tools for collaborative work (the groupware functionality) are expected. As a result of this effort, STATISTICA emerged as a leading enterprise application. It offers not only the most advanced and user-friendly analytic tools for the desktop user, but also leverages these tools to the enterprise level with the use of cutting-edge enterprise system integration and high-performance connectivity technologies. The two main lines of StatSoft's enterprise solutions: STATISTICA Enterprise-wide Data Analysis System (SEDAS), and STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System (SEWSS) offer not only the unmatched analytic power of STATISTICA (which provides the front end for these systems) but also virtually unlimited customizability. These systems can either provide stand-alone solutions (with stand-alone data warehouses) or can be seamlessly integrated with existing corporate repositories of data. In the latter case, SEDAS or SEWSS can provide its own (linkable) data warehouse or act as a component of an existing system (e.g., corporate ERP software). STATISTICA Enterprise-wide SPC System, which also includes a comprehensive selection of sophisticated SPC (statistical process and quality control) analyses and state-ofthe- art data collection/connectivity options, is now successfully managing all quality control and monitoring operations at some of the most modern production facilities in the world.

1999-2000: STATISTICA - A leader in scalable solutions (from a single desktop to the largest enterprise "collective business intelligence" systems). In 1999, StatSoft unveiled a new generation of enhancements and optimizations to the enterprise and connectivity products, along with new releases of specialized add-on products, including most comprehensive implementations of the GLM (General Linear Models), GSR (General Stepwise Regression), GLZ (Generalized Linear/Nonlinear Models), and PLS (Partial Least Squares) methods available on the market. These powerful modeling tools are integrated with a wide selection of unique visualization techniques designed for both exploration/data mining and hypothesis testing.

The consistent feedback from the users and the market is reaffirming StatSoft's position as an industry leader, offering a broad range of analytic solutions for the entire spectrum of real-life applications - from a single desktop (or classroom) to the largest enterprise computing systems. The STATISTICA line of applications offers the most comprehensive collections of solutions for:
   (1) data analysis and data mining/knowledge discovery
   (2) quality monitoring, control, and improvement
   (3) decision support and appraisal, and
   (4) strategic information delivery, sharing, and proactive broadcasting.
In 1999 and 2000, StatSoft products continue to enjoy not only an unprecedented level of recognition in formal independent reviews and comparisons published by experts, but also a remarkable level of user satisfaction.

In May of 1999, STATISTICA is called "A Carnival of Stats" in SCIENCE, a widely recognized general science journal read by a broad spectrum of scientists. In his review, author Bruce McCallum summarizes: "STATISTICA maintains the top position among standardized statistical computer programs." He further applauds the program by saying, "Authors cite STATISTICA in the methods section of their papers because of the program's high standards, commitment to accuracy, and technical sophistication for output."

Reviewer Felix Grant reviews both single-user and enterprise products in the August/September 2000 issue of Scientific Computing World. The author summarizes by saying STATISTICA "excels in delivering clearly branded intuitive methods, ergonomic appeal, responsiveness and adaptability to a wide range of consumers." Grant calls STATISTICA 5.5 "thoroughly modular, extremely open, and extensively customizable." He claims that STATISTICA possesses "a uniquely intuitive usability which weighs heavily with real-world users" and features "the best onboard large database capability of any product in its market." During this time, StatSoft's enterprise SPC system (SEWSS) is also reviewed favorably in various publications and by some of its users both in the U.S. and overseas.

2001: A New Generation of STATISTICA. The release of STATISTICA 6 marks a new generation of statistical software. STATISTICA 6 is based on the COM architecture and high-end technologies (such as multithreading and support for distributed processing for large enterprise installations) usually not found in such "vertical market" applications as data analysis software. As a result, STATISTICA offers unique functionality and usability features that no other competing product can offer.

Users upgrading from previous versions of STATISTICA will enjoy more new features and enhancements to the program than any other upgrade in StatSoft's 17-year history. In addition to the more user-friendly interface, the virtually endless possibilities for customization, and the enhanced options for Web-enablement, the latest release makes STATISTICA the only data analysis software on the market that features built-in Visual Basic scripting that gives programmers access to ALL functionality in the program (i.e., the same as Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word). In the first review of STATISTICA 6, "THE FUTURE IS HERE... Superior Performance, Enhanced Handling, and No Glitches," published just a few months after its release in the July/August 2001 issue of Scientific Computing World, reviewer Felix Grant enthusiastically welcomes the new version. After running STATISTICA alongside competing products Grant concludes, "I have become a fan (of STATISTICA), encountering only superior performance, enhanced handling, and no glitches". In the remainder of the review Grant praises many areas of the program; "Graphics benefit from an impressive range of incremental improvements with new types, more visual and intuitive access selection, enhanced brushing and zooming, style management, and interactive sectioning of 3D constructs. There are new statistical procedures in modeling and data mining, and improvements in a swathe of others. The whole package, never slow on its feet, has gained noticeably in speed and responsiveness."

2002-2007: Beyond the traditional enterprise computing systems - the new world of distributed, Web-based solutions. StatSoft's relentless pursuit of new, more effective solutions designed to better meet the growing needs of the advanced "information-driven economy" of the 21st century has led to the creation of a variety of new technologies and innovative products. StatSoft continues to grow and continues to spend more than 30% of its revenues on Research and Development, and as a result, its product line now features an extremely comprehensive selection of technologies, solutions, and integration services, including:

• data analysis tools for virtually any application, including validated installations for the FDA-regulated industries



• integrated, server-centric analytic applications for all categories of analysts (from advanced R&D statisticians to occasional users and consumers of simple reports)



• extremely comprehensive applications for predictive and exploratory data mining and text mining



• server-centric, guided analytic solutions with automated, user/function specific interfaces



• quality control and improvement applications including a broad selection of tools for implementation of Six Sigma initiatives, "predictive QC" and "QC mining"



• intelligent, real-time monitoring and predictive monitoring of processes (from remote equipment to the distribution of energy, water, or services)



• analytic business intelligence and reporting solutions, including intelligent, interactive knowledge portals



• distributed, intelligent data warehousing solutions



• document management systems [(21 CFR Part 11, and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliant)], fully integrated with analytic solutions

All these categories of applications are built on highly scalable kernels, and they are based on a cutting edge distributed / parallel processing technology that divides the processing load of computationally intensive applications across multiple servers over the web. This supercomputer-like architecture is capable of delivering astounding performance using even very inexpensive computer hardware. StatSoft is now a clearly recognized leading provider of enterprise systems for a broad array of analytic applications, and the only provider of fully web-enabled, comprehensive analytic systems where a complete array of analytic tools can be accessed via thin Client (an Internet Browser) from any computer in the world as long as it is connected to the Internet. StatSoft is also the leader in the area of "intelligent" (predictive) systems for monitoring and improving quality, and after the recent consolidation in the industry, StatSoft is currently the largest company in the world that offers QC systems for the enterprise, supported by full-service offices in 20 overseas locations on all continents.
StatSoft enterprise solutions have now been validated in some of the most demanding, mission-critical applications at world leading companies, and in a variety of industries including the manufacturing, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors of the economy, and many other industries. Some of the largest multinational corporations have now standardized on StatSoft solutions and integrated them deep inside the most sensitive components of their computer infrastructures. StatSoft products are used at so many companies in so many applications, and they helped develop so many products and helped make so many inventions, that it is safe to say that our company is making major contributions to technological progress and overall productivity.

PRESENT
StatSoft, Inc. is now one of the largest, global providers of analytic software worldwide. StatSoft is also the largest manufacturer of enterprise-wide quality-control and improvement software systems in the world, and the only company capable of supporting its QC products worldwide, with wholly owned subsidiaries in all major markets (StatSoft has 20 full-service offices, on all continents), and its software is available in Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, and other languages. The STATISTICA product line and its cutting edge, enterprise-wide, scalable, fully Web-enabled, distributed processing systems are utilized across a wide variety of industries and applications by leading global corporations in such areas as Manufacturing, Semiconductors, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Petrochemical, Food Processing, Automotive, Heavy Equipment, Insurance, Telecom, R&D, and others. STATISTICA is widely used as an integral, crucial component of corporate computer infrastructures to boost productivity and the bottom line, and also to increase safety. It is used in mission critical manufacturing applications, in regulated FDA controlled industries [(also to help achieve compliance with CFR Part 11 and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) regulations)] and as a foundation of corporate-wide Six Sigma initiatives. STATISTICA has achieved an unprecedented record of recognition from both users and expert reviewers since its first Windows release in 1993, being ranked the highest in every review by an independent third party.

StatSoft, Inc. is a closely held corporation with headquarters in Tulsa, OK (USA). At this printing, StatSoft offices are located in 20 countries on all continents, including: Germany (StatSoft GmbH), France (StatSoft France), the United Kingdom (StatSoft Ltd.), Poland (StatSoft Polska Sp. z o.o.), Italy (StatSoft Italia, srl), Sweden (StatSoft Scandinavia AB), the Netherlands (StatSoft Benelux BV), Portugal and Spain (StatSoft Iberica Lda., with StatSoft Espana and StatSoft Portugal divisions), Russia (StatSoft Russia), Taiwan/China (StatSoft Taiwan), Japan (StatSoft Japan, Inc.), Korea (StatSoft Korea), Brazil (StatSoft South America), South Africa (StatSoft Southern Africa), Australia (StatSoft Pacific Pty Ltd.), Czech Republic (StatSoft Czech Republic s.r.o.), Israel (StatSoft Israel Ltd.), Hungary (StatSoft Hungary Ltd.), Singapore (StatSoft Singapore) Switzerland (StatSoft Switzerland), Bulgaria (StatSoft Bulgaria Ltd.), and India (StatSoft India Pvt. Ltd.).

StatSoft central administration is located in a newly remodeled building, easily accessible to visitors (10 minutes from the Tulsa International Airport), on the corner of Broken Arrow Expressway (the main East- West highway) and Lewis Avenue (2 miles from downtown Tulsa); The StatSoft Research and Development Department is split between several locations (in the U.S. and overseas).

Data analysis software from StatSoft is used at most major universities, research institutes, corporations and manufacturing facilities in more than 60 countries. StatSoft products are sold and supported directly by: (a) StatSoft Customer Service offices in the US and overseas (in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Taiwan/China, Japan, Korea, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Czech Republic, Israel, Hungary, and Singapore); and (b) A large network of overseas distributors authorized to provide technical support, implementation services, and training for users of StatSoft products.

StatSoft products are distributed by all major US and international software distributors, and they are available from value-added resellers, consulting firms, and university computer/book stores. Student versions of STATISTICA (and related textbooks) are distributed directly by StatSoft offices around the world.

StatSoft software is available in single-user versions (for individual end users), in the form of network or concurrent multi-user packages, and as enterprise systems (with extensive groupware functionality) integrated with a data warehouse. The exact number of users of StatSoft products is difficult to determine but can be estimated at more than 600,000 users worldwide (universities/research institutions: 30%; corporations/manufacturing facilities: 60%; government agencies: 10%).

Foreign versions of STATISTICA (including the entire STATISTICA family of products) are available in Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Polish, and Spanish. STATISTICA documentation is available in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and other languages.

StatSoft products enjoy an extremely high level of customer satisfaction. This is evident from the product ratings in the returned Software Registration Forms and numerous unsolicited letters and comments from users (many of them explicitly comparing StatSoft products with competing brands of software). Another indication of customer satisfaction is the rate and nature of growth of StatSoft's sales: a large proportion of new customers learned about StatSoft products via referrals by other users.

The technological superiority, uncompromising attention to detail, and the overall quality of StatSoft's software are not the only keys to its success. At StatSoft, the focus on the technology and quality of the software has always been guided by our sensitivity to users' specific needs. Feedback and ratings from users are frequently solicited. A unit of the StatSoft Research and Development Department constantly analyzes feedback from users in order to optimally allocate the development resources of the company to the benefit of the customer.

StatSoft, Inc. in the eyes of the scientific and professional community. A survey conducted by SCIENCE (the publication of the American Association for Advancement of Science; circulation: over 150,000) in 1992 and replicated in 1997, 1998, and 1999 of a randomly selected sample of its readers has provided data on how consistently StatSoft, Inc. has been perceived by the community of scientists and administrators of science.

The following are unedited statements about StatSoft, Inc. and its products volunteered anonymously by a randomly selected sample of respondents. The data for the surveys, sponsored by SCIENCE magazine, were collected by the Harvey Research Organization, Fairport, New York. The following selection of excerpts has been accepted by SCIENCE for use in this material (reprinted by permission of SCIENCE and Harvey Research Organization):

"StatSoft is a standard in their field. They are leaders." Professor, University "This company [StatSoft] has a great line of statistical software. We do use a lot of their products." Research Associate, University

"I know a lot of people that use it (...) The graphics are awesome." Research Assistant, University

"They [StatSoft] offer a wide range of excellent programs. StatSoft is a good company. I use some of their statistical software programs at work, and feel they are very good." Chemist, Pharmaceuticals Mfr.

"They make excellent statistical software." Genetic Toxicologist, Industry

"This is a good company. They are selling good, quality, premier products. They are a nice company to deal with." Sr. Scientist, Health Care Services

"This company has been around for a while and has built itself into a major supplier of statistical and graphics software for research labs. They are a very professional company, and their graphics all come out looking professional. They are also known for accuracy and reliability." Research Scientist, Industry

"Their software is rated higher in all comparative reviews of statistics software. It [STATISTICA] is number one." Associate Professor, Education

"StatSoft is recognized for their expertise in statistical software. They have received the highest rating in every comparative review of statistical software in which it [STATISTICA] was featured." Professor of Biology, University

"StatSoft has a statistics software program [STATISTICA] that we use, and it is a great product. We use it for our data analysis and it works very well for us." Assistant Professor, University

"STATISTICA works very well for me. StatSoft is a reputable company." Professor, University

"I know the company, and have experienced the results of this program. STATISTICA provides many features pertaining to charts, presentations, control, graphics, etc. It's compatible with all the major protocols, is effective, and priced right." Health Educator, Industry

"I have heard a lot of good reports about it. It has received the highest rating for statistics software." Assistant Professor, University

"I'm familiar with StatSoft. I have heard a lot about STATISTICA in positive terms from other people who have come to us. I understand that STATISTICA is user-friendly, especially for non-computer buffs." Microbiologist, Industry

"They [StatSoft] are top quality and there is a wide variety for you to choose from. They are rated very highly for their quality." Research Assistant, University

"They [StatSoft] offer you the software you need to add life to your statistics. You can make all kinds of graphs and charts that are professional looking as well as being accurate and reliable." Research Assistant, University

"I have used StatSoft [STATISTICA] before (...). You cant beat them. " Professor of Biology, University

"We have a site license for it [STATISTICA], so it's widely used here. I use this product and it's worked pretty well for me. It has met my needs. It does not have a real steep learning curve that some other statistics packages have. This [STATISTICA] is more interactive oriented and most experimenters want interactive oriented software rather than batch oriented programs. I have found that this [STATISTICA] is fun to play with." Chief of Biomathematics, Research Center

"I have always been impressed by them." Botany Curator, Museum

"(...) I think that StatSoft has a good thing going with this product. You can do a lot with it." Associate Professor, University

"StatSoft is well known for high quality statistical software. This product [STATISTICA] has been tops against the competition in all comparisons. It has a perfect track record. Not too many products are so dominant." Pathologist/Cell Biologist, University

"This [STATISTICA] is good software. It is very comprehensive. You can pretty much do anything you need to do in statistics with this software." Vice President, Industry

See also the most recent replication of this survey (conducted by SCIENCE in 2001).

FUTURE
The notion that the future of StatSoft depends on the quality and competitive, technological advantages of its products and services is deeply ingrained in our corporate culture. The company continues to invest in research and development at a rate that considerably exceeds the industry average (more than 30% of the revenue is spent on R&D) and continues to expand its range of integration and large-system deployment services. One of the most important ongoing development projects at StatSoft focuses on the further advancement of the "connectivity" (in the broadest sense of this term) of the STATISTICA product line. This includes the design of new technologies to achieve even "smoother" and more effortless integration of STATISTICA with the large repositories of information available in the local and global cyberspace, and the advancement of tools for efficiently locating relevant information or knowledge (data mining and 5th generation AI-based solutions). Also, more tools will be offered to developers and system integrators, to enable them to selectively implement components of STATISTICA in their applications. As always, we will continue to enhance all STATISTICA products by adding new features and facilities in direct response to feedback from the users and the ever changing demands of the fast growing and "broadening" market. One of our priorities is for STATISTICA to remain the most "responsive" (to users' needs) product in its category. StatSoft products are currently playing an important role in leading corporations and businesses as well as educational, research and government institutions around the world, and StatSoft is poised to expand its leadership position in the information technology.