Program FACTOR at 10 : origins, development and future directions

TLDR: A conceptual view of the origins, development and future directions of FACTOR, a popular free program for fitting the factor analysis (FA) model, which has attained a degree of technical development comparable to commercial software, and offers options not available elsewhere.

Abstract: espanolAntecedentes: se pretende dar una vision conceptual del origen, desarrollos y futuras lineas de investigacion de FACTOR, un popular programa no comercial de analisis factorial (AF). Metodo: el estudio se organiza en tres partes. En la primera se discute FACTOR en su etapa inicial (2006-2012) como un programa AF tradicional con opciones novedosas. En la segunda se discute la etapa actual (2013-2016) en la que FACTOR se presenta ya como un programa general enmarcado tanto en los modelos de ecuaciones estructurales como en la teoria de respuesta a los items. En la tercera parte, finalmente se discute la esperada evolucion futura del programa. Resultados: en la actualidad FACTOR ha alcanzado un grado de desarrollo tecnico comparable al software comercial, ofreciendo opciones no disponibles en otros programas. Discusion: se discuten algunas limitaciones, asi como varios puntos que requieren cambios o mejoras. Se discute tambien el funcionamiento del programa dentro de la comunidad de usuarios. EnglishBackground: We aim to provide a conceptual view of the origins, development and future directions of FACTOR, a popular free program for fitting the factor analysis (FA) model. Method: The study is organized into three parts. In the first part we discuss FACTOR in its initial period (2006-2012) as a traditional FA program with many new and cutting-edge features. The second part discusses the present period (2013-2016) in which FACTOR has developed into a comprehensive program embedded in the framework of structural equation modelling and item response theory. The third part discusses expected future developments. Results: at present FACTOR has attained a degree of technical development comparable to commercial software, and offers options not available elsewhere. Discussion: We discuss several shortcomings as well as points that require changes or improvements. We also discuss the functioning of FACTOR within its community of users.