How can I use statistical software without downloading it onto my personal computer?
Answer
Many classes at Miami require the use of statistical software programs like SPSS, Stata, JMP, SAS, and R. With the exception of R, none of these tools are free to download onto a personal computer. As a result, Miami students should use these tools through the virtual PC. The steps for connecting to the virtual PC are provided below. Note that using the virtual PC does not require a virtual private network (VPN) connection.
- Go to the Miami University website to access the virtual PC .
- Choose For Windows or For Mac and click the appropriate link.
- Enter your Miami unique ID and password.
- Download the connection for FSB Desktops.
- Double click the downloaded connection and login to the virtual PC with your unique ID and password.
- Click on the folder icon entitled Departmental Apps. There is a desktop icon in the left column, second row from the top. If you’re using a Windows machine, you can click the Start button in the bottom left and search for it that way.
- Click the Statistical Programs folder. You should now be able to access to SPSS, JMP, MatLab, R, SAS, STATA, and Minitab.
For statistics student that only need R and RStudio, it is easier to install this software on a local machine. They are both free to use and installing them locally means avoiding reliance on the desktop connection.