4 ms·

"We have customers who build engines for aircraft. I am happy they are not using freeware when I get on a jet." - Ugh, SAS isn't about science, it's about admin

by zandorg 18y ago

"We have customers who build engines for aircraft. I am happy they are not using freeware when I get on a jet." - Ugh, SAS isn't about science, it's about administration.

bkj123 18y ago
What do you mean by "SAS isn't about science, it's about administration"
- zandorg 18y ago
  I meant SAP, but that or SAS is about 'business intelligence', which means running an organisation - staffing, payroll, etc, but certainly not jet engines. My Aunt programs in SAP for a University. So SAP determines how businesses are run, and are paid for the privelege.
  - neilc 18y ago
    SAP and SAS are completely different. SAS is for science (well, for statistical programming in general); SAS has nothing to do with SAP, which is for back-office stuff. The article and the quote are about statistics packages like SAS.
michaelneale 18y ago
What an idiot. There would be lots of freeware involved if not on the aircraft. And that is preferable to the alternative in many cases.
- aneesh 18y ago
  Well, for starters, the video screens on the seatbacks of 777s (and other aircraft) are running some flavor of Linux. But that's not a counterexample to her argument, per se, since the video screens aren't critical to the plane's operation.
  - dag 18y ago
    The counterargument is that, if I am to fly, I would like the ability to check for myself that the physics equations used to design the plane are correct.
  - michaelneale 18y ago
    And I am sure there is no SAS software running on the plane, AT ALL - so the whole thing doesn't make sense. Actually for critical control software, I want it to be boring and simple.
    - neilc 18y ago
      The argument wasn't that SAS software is used to run systems on the plane, it is that SAS was used to design the airplane. However, the argument is still obviously laughable.
tocomment 18y ago
I had a job interview where the guy told me my first task would be to code a neural network. I said that honestly he would be better off using one of the hundreds of open source versions already out there. He said "We don't use freeware here". That's when I knew the job wasn't for me..
nailer 18y ago
My day job manages $USD 68B in funds. Our largest fund and most profitable fund (around $US 25B), which includes some our of brightest people, which uses the Linux server infrastructure I design, also uses R and Python. Trades are made based on the models created in these languages by our research teams. Our traders simply execute what our researchers models tell them to, when the model tells them to. So both R and Python are fundamental parts of our business without which our best products could not function. We don't use freeware either, as neither R, Python, or Linux are freeware. They are licensed software, with OSD compatible licenses.
- kirubakaran 18y ago
  > Our traders simply execute what our researchers models tell them to Can the traders be eliminated? Why pay them if all they do is carry out orders? (I am asking sincerely)
  - nailer 18y ago
    It's a fair question. Everyone is aware the traders, which are normally a big deal, are slaves to the research gents and their algorithms. My guess is largely, they can be. The actual trades could be automated (this would become increasingly necessary with rapid-fire [millisecond] trading, which we don't do now but could in future). The meatware oversight could be consolidated to a smaller group of individuals.
socratees 18y ago
I don't get your comment. You mean mission critical systems should not use open source software?. Google runs on free software, what's wrong with using free software?
- nailer 18y ago
  He's quoting the article. But the person he's quoting, like you, confuses Open Source software / Free Software with freeware, which is generally considered to be unlicensed or public domain software.
  - rbanffy 18y ago
    No. The person quoted has to sell very expensive software. These people are not dumb.
    - nailer 18y ago
      I didn't say he wasn't deliberately confusing OSS / Free software with freeware.
      - rbanffy 18y ago
        I bet she is. It's kind of sad when people have to resort to disinformation to sell their stuff.
geebee 18y ago
A more extended quote: “I think it addresses a niche market for high-end data analysts that want free, readily available code," said Anne H. Milley, director of technology product marketing at SAS. She adds, “We have customers who build engines for aircraft. I am happy they are not using freeware when I get on a jet.” Wow, is that a FUD statement if I ever heard one. Pretty cyncial stuff from Anne H. Milley.

by zandorg 18y ago

"We have customers who build engines for aircraft. I am happy they are not using freeware when I get on a jet." - Ugh, SAS isn't about science, it's about administration.

bkj123 18y ago

What do you mean by "SAS isn't about science, it's about administration"

zandorg 18y ago
I meant SAP, but that or SAS is about 'business intelligence', which means running an organisation - staffing, payroll, etc, but certainly not jet engines. My Aunt programs in SAP for a University. So SAP determines how businesses are run, and are paid for the privelege.
- neilc 18y ago
  SAP and SAS are completely different. SAS is for science (well, for statistical programming in general); SAS has nothing to do with SAP, which is for back-office stuff. The article and the quote are about statistics packages like SAS.

michaelneale 18y ago

What an idiot. There would be lots of freeware involved if not on the aircraft. And that is preferable to the alternative in many cases.

aneesh 18y ago
Well, for starters, the video screens on the seatbacks of 777s (and other aircraft) are running some flavor of Linux. But that's not a counterexample to her argument, per se, since the video screens aren't critical to the plane's operation.
- dag 18y ago
  The counterargument is that, if I am to fly, I would like the ability to check for myself that the physics equations used to design the plane are correct.
- michaelneale 18y ago
  And I am sure there is no SAS software running on the plane, AT ALL - so the whole thing doesn't make sense. Actually for critical control software, I want it to be boring and simple.
  - neilc 18y ago
    The argument wasn't that SAS software is used to run systems on the plane, it is that SAS was used to design the airplane. However, the argument is still obviously laughable.

tocomment 18y ago

I had a job interview where the guy told me my first task would be to code a neural network. I said that honestly he would be better off using one of the hundreds of open source versions already out there. He said "We don't use freeware here". That's when I knew the job wasn't for me..

nailer 18y ago

My day job manages $USD 68B in funds. Our largest fund and most profitable fund (around $US 25B), which includes some our of brightest people, which uses the Linux server infrastructure I design, also uses R and Python. Trades are made based on the models created in these languages by our research teams. Our traders simply execute what our researchers models tell them to, when the model tells them to. So both R and Python are fundamental parts of our business without which our best products could not function. We don't use freeware either, as neither R, Python, or Linux are freeware. They are licensed software, with OSD compatible licenses.

kirubakaran 18y ago
> Our traders simply execute what our researchers models tell them to Can the traders be eliminated? Why pay them if all they do is carry out orders? (I am asking sincerely)
- nailer 18y ago
  It's a fair question. Everyone is aware the traders, which are normally a big deal, are slaves to the research gents and their algorithms. My guess is largely, they can be. The actual trades could be automated (this would become increasingly necessary with rapid-fire [millisecond] trading, which we don't do now but could in future). The meatware oversight could be consolidated to a smaller group of individuals.

socratees 18y ago

I don't get your comment. You mean mission critical systems should not use open source software?. Google runs on free software, what's wrong with using free software?

nailer 18y ago
He's quoting the article. But the person he's quoting, like you, confuses Open Source software / Free Software with freeware, which is generally considered to be unlicensed or public domain software.
- rbanffy 18y ago
  No. The person quoted has to sell very expensive software. These people are not dumb.
  - nailer 18y ago
    I didn't say he wasn't deliberately confusing OSS / Free software with freeware.
    - rbanffy 18y ago
      I bet she is. It's kind of sad when people have to resort to disinformation to sell their stuff.

geebee 18y ago

A more extended quote: “I think it addresses a niche market for high-end data analysts that want free, readily available code," said Anne H. Milley, director of technology product marketing at SAS. She adds, “We have customers who build engines for aircraft. I am happy they are not using freeware when I get on a jet.” Wow, is that a FUD statement if I ever heard one. Pretty cyncial stuff from Anne H. Milley.