3.1. Before You Start

One of the more important facts which should be remembered when working with SplitsTree is that the program was originally intended for bioinformatics and while this does not mean that the program cannot be used for our (i.e. linguistic) purposes, this circumstance definitely has ramifications for the end user.

Generally, you should neither expect a pretty nor self-explanatory user-interface and while SplitsTree4 is far from being a completely obscure program, the lack of convenience needs some time getting used to. That being said, the program is, provided the user is prepared to invest some time, not that complicated to understand. Internet forums, user manuals or trial-and-error speed up the process of figuring out what the program is capable of.

If this companion website does not provide enough information for your purposes or if you are just looking for further information, please check out the resources listed in Chapter 6.

Remember that general basic rules when working with software also apply to SplitsTree4. Although the program is relatively stable, the saying 'save early, save often' still applies.

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