About R

• R website, https://www.r-project.org/
• Free and open source software
• Runs on Windows, OSX, GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, and more
• Created in ‘93 as a free software version of the S language
• R is both a programming language and a programming environment
• Installing R provides the default “R Base" suite of R packages, the modules of functionality available by default
• Additional packages can be installed from within R via CRAN (Comprehensive R Archive Network)
  • CRAN website, https://cran.r-project.org/
  • The main source for downloading R and most packages
  • Documentation is provided with each package for learning how to use the package
  • Datasets are often available within a package to practice using the its functions
  • Very active global community of users and developers

Programming Features of R

• Interpreted language (commands are executed directly and output is provided immediately)
• Accessible via:
  • Command line
  • The R application itself
  • 3rd party graphical user interfaces, like RStudio
• Supports procedural programming with functions and some object-oriented programming
• data structures include
  • Vectors
  • Matrices
  • Arrays
  • Data frames
  • Lists

RStudio

• RStudio website, https://www.rstudio.com/
• Free and open source software
• Most popular integrated development environment (IDE) for R
• Combines the power of the command line with the smaller learning curve of a graphical user interface
• Provides the same experience across operating systems (which the R application and other GUIs do not)
• Requires prior R installation