R is `GNU S' - A language and environment for statistical computing and graphics.  The language of R is largely compatible with S-PLUS.

Availability | Getting Started | Getting Help |Other Resources

R Availability

As of November 26, 2007, the current version of R is 2.6.1.

In addition to the R source code, precompiled binaries for Linux, MacOS (System 8.6 to 9.1 and MacOS X), MacOS X (Darwin/X11) and Windows (95 and later) may be downloaded from The Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) at  http://cran.r-project.org/ or one of many mirrors, the closest of which is at http://cran.us.r-project.org/

Beginning with release 1.80 there was only one R port for the Macintosh, which runs only on MacOS X. The `Carbon' port is being discontinued, and the `Darwin' port is part of the new version.

On Windows the easiest way to install R is to download and run the base Setup program (about 25 megabytes).  The current version of the executable for version 2.6.1 is R-2.6.1-win32.exe.

> If the Linux system that you are using has mounted the /common directory as > outlined in the related instructions found at > http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/linux/mount.html > then R will be available as /uva/bin/R > > That is the best way of using R since you will not need to maintain it. > However, if R is not available in /common, then it will need to be > installed on the machine. rpm's for R are available for several > distributions. To download R, please select a nearby mirror at > http://cran.r-project.org/mirrors.html

In addition to base R, there are many specialized bundles and packages available from CRAN.  Type `help(INSTALL)' or `help(install.packages)' in R for information on how to install packages from this directory. The manual R Installation and Administration (also contained in the R base sources) explains the process in detail.

See CRAN for a complete listing and description of packages which are stable or under development.

Research Computing can only provide limited support for programs such as R whose binaries and source originate off site. Please remember that it is up to you to:

1.      Check the system requirements.

2.      Scan any downloads for viruses.

3.      Read the documentation for instructions on installation and program use.

4.      Comply with any licenses to which you agree.

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Getting Started with R

An Introduction to R is a pdf document derived from an original set of notes describing the S and S-Plus environments written by Bill Venables and David M. Smith (Insightful Corporation). The authors have made a number of small changes to reflect differences between the R and S programs, and expanded some of the material.

Getting Help with R

When installing R, you may also select to install compiled HTML help files, ordinary HTML help files, latex help files, online pdf manuals, or reference manuals.  The pdf manuals are An Introduction to R mentioned earlier, as well as R Reference Manual, R Data Import/Export , The R Language Definition, and Writing R Extensions. If you are new to R, installing these pdf documents is highly recommended.

Consultants: Additional help with R, S-PLUS or other statistical packages can be obtained by contacting the Research Computing Support staff in the Scholars' Lab in Alderman Library, by phone at 243-8800, or by sending email to res-consult@virginia.edu

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Other R Resources

·         Introductory Statistics with R by Peter Dalgaard is available at the library in print form and through ebrary

·         R-FAQ

·         R for Windows FAQ

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