Read its official description, and Past doesn’t sound like it has much general appeal. "Paleontological Statistics Software" covering "univariate and multivariate statistics, ecological analysis, time series and spatial analysis, morphometrics and stratigraphy". Really? Gulp. But even though it’s aimed squarely at data analysis experts, Past has some features which could be useful for just about anyone. Past is entirely free, no adware, no registration or other hassles, it doesn’t even need installing -- simply unzip and go. A simple spreadsheet interface provides an easy way to enter data. You can also copy information from the clipboard, or import a few… [Continue Reading]