computer science

GLIM (software)

GLIM (software) is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand GLIM (software) rather than just read about it. In short: GLIM (an acronym for Generalized Linear Interactive Modelling) is a statistical software program for fitting generalized linear models (GLMs). It was developed by the Royal Statistical Society's Working Party on Statistical Computing (later renamed the GLIM Working Party), chaired initially by John Nelder.

Key takeaways

GLIM (software) belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect GLIM (software) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of GLIM (software) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

GLIM (an acronym for Generalized Linear Interactive Modelling) is a statistical software program for fitting generalized linear models (GLMs). It was developed by the Royal Statistical Society's Working Party on Statistical Computing (later renamed the GLIM Working Party), chaired initially by John Nelder. It was first released in 1974 with the last major release, GLIM4, in 1993. GLIM was distributed by the Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG). GLIM was notable for being the first package capable of fitting a wide range of generalized linear models in a unified framework, and for encouraging an interactive, iterative approach to statistical modelling. GLIM used a command-line interface and allowed users to define their own macros. Many articles in academic journals were written about the use of GLIM. Two GLIM conferences were held in London (1982) and Lancaster (1985) and the Statistical Modelling Society, with its annual workshops, grew out of them. GLIM was reviewed in The American Statistician in 1994, along with other software for fitting generalized linear models. The GLIMPSE system was later developed to provide a knowledge based front-end for GLIM. GLIM is no longer actively developed or distributed.

Books Aitkin, Murray; Anderson, Dorothy; Francis, Brian; Hinde, John (1989). Statistical Modelling in GLIM. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-852203-7. Gilchrist, R.; Green, M. (1980). GLIM: a primer. Polytechnic of North London, Dept. of Mathematics. Healy, Michael J. R. (1988). GLIM: an introduction. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-852213-3.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with GLIM (software)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what GLIM (software) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to GLIM (software) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about GLIM (software) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of GLIM (software)

In research: GLIM (software) appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses GLIM (software) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: GLIM (software) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Regression and curve fitting software, Royal Statistical Society, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for GLIM (software) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study GLIM (software) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what GLIM (software) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain GLIM (software) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is GLIM (software) in simple terms?

Why does GLIM (software) matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study GLIM (software)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on GLIM (software).