= About Deducer =
== Why Deducer? ==
Deducer is designed to be a free easy-to-use alternative to proprietary data analysis software such as SPSS, JMP, and Minitab. It has a menu system to perform common data manipulation and analysis tasks, and an excel-like spreadsheet in which to view and edit data frames. The goal of the project is two fold.
   * Provide an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for R, encouraging non-technical users to learn and perform analyses without programming getting in their way. So it may lower the entry threshold.
   * Increase the efficiency of expert R users when performing common tasks by replacing hundreds of keystrokes with a few mouse clicks. Also, as much as possible the GUI should not get in their way if they just want to do some programming. 
== Why Not? ==
   * Deducer is java-dependend and therefore sometimes not stable (although it has been a long time since I had problems, but I work very rarely with the deducer package; maybe it is more stable these days)
   * R is designed for text based interactions, the full functionality is not available through menues
   * the course will be based on typing the commands but maybe the Deducer GUI helps to overcome your inhibition to use R
== Installation ==
   * there are instructions how to install at [[http://www.deducer.org/ | http://www.deducer.org/ ]]
   * from within R:
      * run R
      * type library(JGR)
      * followed by JGR()
   * there is also a script created during the installation; the path is shown when you start Deducer via R (e.g. \texttt{~/R/i686-pc-linux-gnu-library/2.14/JGR/scripts/run}

== Prepare ==
 * After you have installed deducer, you have to load the Deducer related packages (this extends the menues)
   * go to the ''packages & data'' menue in the menue bar
{{attachment:menupack1.png|alt text|width=800 height=600}}
   * choose ''Package Manager''
{{attachment:menupack2.png|alt text|width=800 height=600}}
   * the package manager opens up:
     * by marking the checkboxes in the first column you can load packages (''loaded'')
     * by marking the ckeckboxes in the second column you can choose which packages you want to be automatically loaded every time you start Deducer (''default'')
     * the third and fourth columns show the name and a short description of the packages respectively
   * scroll down to the ''Deducer'' and the ''DeducerExtra'' packages and mark for each of them both: the loaded and the default checkbox
{{attachment:packman1.png|alt text|width=800 height=600}}
   * close the package manager by clicking on the ''Close'' button
 * Now basic statistical procedures are available through the menues (and from now on in every session)

== First Steps ==
 * now we will test some functionalities
 * so first we load an examples data set:
   * go to the ''Extras'' menue in the menue bar and choose ''Load data from package''
{{attachment:choosedata1.png|alt text|width=800 height=600}}
   * a little window opens up and you can choose a data set
   * for now choose the ''Pima.te'' data set and click the ''Run'' button
{{attachment:choosedata2.png|alt text|width=200}}




=== Exercise ===
 1. Find and load the MASS package.