R - Quick Guide

R - Overview

R is a programming language and software environment for statistical analysis, graphics representation and reporting. R was created by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and is currently developed by the R Development Core Team.

The core of R is an interpreted computer language which allows branching and looping as well as modular programming using functions. R allows integration with the procedures written in the C, C++, .Net, Python or FORTRAN languages for efficiency.
R is freely available under the GNU General Public License, and pre-compiled binary versions are provided for various operating systems like Linux, Windows and Mac.
R is free software distributed under a GNU-style copy left, and an official part of the GNU project called GNU S.

Evolution of R

R was initially written by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman at the Department of Statistics of the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. R made its first appearance in 1993.

• A large group of individuals has contributed to R by sending code and bug reports.
• Since mid-1997 there has been a core group (the "R Core Team") who can modify the R source code archive.

Features of R

As stated earlier, R is a programming language and software environment for statistical analysis, graphics representation and reporting. The following are the important features of R −

• R is a well-developed, simple and effective programming language which includes conditionals, loops, user defined recursive functions and input and output facilities.
• R has an effective data handling and storage facility,
• R provides a suite of operators for calculations on arrays, lists, vectors and matrices.
• R provides a large, coherent and integrated collection of tools for data analysis.
• R provides graphical facilities for data analysis and display either directly at the computer or printing at the papers.

As a conclusion, R is world’s most widely used statistics programming language. It's the # 1 choice of data scientists and supported by a vibrant and talented community of contributors. R is taught in universities and deployed in mission critical business applications. This tutorial will teach you R programming along with suitable examples in simple and easy steps.

R - Environment Setup

Try it Option Online

You really do not need to set up your own environment to start learning R programming language. Reason is very simple, we already have set up R Programming environment online, so that you can compile and execute all the available examples online at the same time when you are doing your theory work. This gives you confidence in what you are reading and to check the result with different options. Feel free to modify any example and execute it online.
Try the following example using Try it option at the website available at the top right corner of the below sample code box −

# Print Hello World. 
print("Hello World") 
 
# Add two numbers. 
print(23.9 + 11.6)

For most of the examples given in this tutorial, you will find Try it option at the website, so just make use of it and enjoy your learning.