R
An Open Source Language & Statistical Environment
for Computing & Graphics
R Availability
As of August 3, 2010, the current version of R is 2.11.1. In addition to the R source code, precompiled binaries for Linux, MacOS X, and Windows 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/.
On Windows the easiest way to install R is to download and run the base Setup program (about 33 megabytes). The current version of the executable for version 2.11.1 is R-2.11.1-win32.exe.
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 offsite. Please remember that it is up to you to:
- Check the system requirements.
- Scan any downloads for viruses.
- Read the documentation for instructions on installation and program use.
- Comply with any licenses to which you agree.
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.
Consultants: For additional help with R, S-PLUS or other statistical packages contact 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.
Additional R Resources
Introductory Statistics with R by Peter Dalgaard is available at the library in print form and through ebrary.
Workshops: If you are interested in hands-on or lecture style workshops for mathematical, scientific or statistical research software, contact the Research Computing Support staff in the Scholars' Lab in Alderman Library, by phone at 243-8800, or by email to res-consult@virginia.edu.
Page Updated: 2012-02-16
