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Dear list This has been a very interesting discussion, and I appreciate reading all the comments. Here are a few thoughts: 1. If your primary purpose for using Bayesian methods is in the estimation if IRT parameters, there are a number of software packages that can do this (e.g., MPlus, BILOG, IRTPRO, etc.). There are some functions in R that allow you to call these programs, run a syntax file, and obtain the output (e.g., R2mplus). The advantage of MPlus is that it is multi-processor aware. MPlus also has some Monte Carlo simulation functions (though not MCMC). 2. mcmcPack which has previously been mentioned is also very fast and does support some IRT models. However, the models it supports are not the ones typically used in psychometric analysis. 3. I understand that there is a multi-processor version of OpenBUGS called MultiBUGS. The only catch with MultiBUGS is that you have to compile the source code yourself, but if you plan to do a lot of work in this area it might be worth looking into. Best Barth ------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is for discussion of modelling issues and the BUGS software. For help with crashes and error messages, first mail [log in to unmask] To mail the BUGS list, mail to [log in to unmask] Before mailing, please check the archive at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/bugs.html Please do not mail attachments to the list. To leave the BUGS list, send LEAVE BUGS to [log in to unmask] If this fails, mail [log in to unmask], NOT the whole list