Thomas writes:
> ... Until then and until I can
> convince colleagues and teachers to use better
> software, how do you suggest that I learn SAS?
> I suspect that it'll be a book on R for SAS-users,
> so I'm expecting recommendations of books like
> those that are best for R-users learning SAS.

As it happens, you're in luck.  There are lots of resources for SAS users. 
 

The SAS-L mailing list archive and sign up is here: 
http://www.listserv.uga.edu/archives/sas-l.html .  You'll find the folks 
populating this list are quite friendly and helpful.
The UCLA statistics dept. website has sections on many other languages 
than R, including SAS: http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/
The online reference can also be helpful: 
http://support.sas.com/onlinedoc/913/docMainpage.jsp

You learn it the same way you did R (by writing something simple and fun), 
but without the excessive worry about whether your questions are stupid. 
Some things are easier done in SAS than in R (though graphics are not on 
that list).  When you write something, write some more code to test it to 
see if it works, don't just see if the results are 'plausible'.  Test 
driven development will help you learn faster.

Your luck runs out pretty fast if you try to write R using SAS.  The 
You'll need to adapt to breaking the process into 'steps', the differences 
in how and when to merge data sets, and the differences between R 
functions and SAS macros.  You'll think in rows instead of vectors, and 
eventually come to realize that there are actually several SAS languages 
you'll need to know to become fluent, should that be needed (Base, SQL, 
ODS, Macro, Annotate and possibly SCL).

cur - whose been walking the opposite direction for a couple years now.
-- 
Curt Seeliger, Data Ranger
Raytheon Information Services - Contractor to ORD
seeliger.curt@epa.gov
541/754-4638

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