<p><a href="https://stats.stackexchange.com/q/201989/1036">This question</a> was originally on stackoverflow and I flagged it to be migrated to this site. The question is framed in terms of choosing between two different SPSS procedures, which is a <em>statistical question</em> - not a programming one. </p>

<p>I flagged it for migration to here because it is a good (and subtle) question as well - what weights to use when you only have summary information. It is a <a href="http://freakonometrics.hypotheses.org/8580" rel="nofollow noreferrer">question that has perplexed</a> others as well, so I think it is appropriate to discuss on this site.</p>

<p>Temporary closure is reasonable to clarify details of what the two methods do (so people do not need to look up the details in alternative documents), but that is not why the question was closed by the 5 individuals. </p>

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<p>To be a bit more general, while many questions come in the form of <code>How do I choose between A and B in software Y</code> they can always be broadened to other contexts by stating the differences in the underlying models - which is software agnostic. </p>

<p>Specifically contrasting two software procedures is just a practical way most people encounter such issues. It is a steep hill to climb for many users to be able to formalize different software procedures in equations.</p>
