ABSTRACT
All statistical analysis is accomplished with the aid of electronic computers. A computer is controlled by its central processing unit operating on the core which contains the instructions of the stored program and also immediately required data. ‘Liveware’ is the term coined to encompass all the personnel who surround the modern computer – electronic engineers, systems programmers, applications programmers, duty advisers, information officers and those who give courses to would-be users. In the use of computers for statistical analysis, the greatest difficulty relates to data input and validation. Since the value of the resulting output is highly dependent on these components, they should be given early and careful consideration. Some software is therefore designed to run in conversational mode. The user, seated in front of a video display unit, interacts directly with the computer, inspecting the results produced by one request before deciding on the next.
