R is an implementation of the S programming language (Bell Labs). It was created by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. R is named partly after the first names of the first two R authors and partly as a play on the name of S. It is currently developed by the R Development Core Team.
R is open source
Compared with S, R is open source. It is an open source programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is also a functional programming focused scripting language that is written with C, Fortran and R primarily. R can interop with C++, .NET and etc.
For more information, visit official website: https://www.r-project.org.
R timeline
R project started in year 1992 and the initial version was released in 1995. In 2000, the stable version was released and it is keeping evolving.
Differences between R and Python
The following are some differences between R and Python:
| Feature | R | Python |
|---|---|---|
| License | GNU General Public License | GPL-compatible |
| Visualization | Numerous of packages available for plotting | Less packages available |
| Usage | Statisticians, Academia, Data Scientists | All aspects (data, website. desktop, etc.) |
R IDE
Some of the commonly used R IDEs include:
- RStudio
- Microsoft Visual Studio
Go to the following websites to download and install these IDEs:
- RStudio: https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/downloadhttps://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download
- R Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio: https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/rtvshttps://www.visualstudio.com/vs/rtvs
R libraries and distributions
Like many other programming language, there are many libraries available to use that are created by the R open source community. The most famous one is CRAN (Comprehensive R Archive Network). Go to CRANto find all the available packages.
There are several R distributions:
- Official R distribution
- Microsoft R Open - The Enhanced R Distribution.
- Server side R & R in database - Microsoft published server side R as part of machine learning server.