R - Kellogg Research Computing

R

Availability

Unix: Version 1.5.1 of the R statistical package is installed on Kellogg's Unix server, skew3.

Pre-compiled versions of R can be downloaded for free for MS Windows, Linux and Mac OS from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN).

Description

R ("GNU S") is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. R is similar to the S system (see SPlus). It provides a wide variety of statistical and graphical techniques: linear and nonlinear modelling, statistical tests, time series analysis, classification, clustering, etc.

Vendor information

R is the result of a collaborative project. Refer to www.r-project.org.

Support

The R Project web site (www.r-project.org) includes links to online documentation, FAQ and R-related mailing lists and sites.

Running R

Unix: To start R, type "R" at the prompt. This will show some initial messages and provide the R prompt (">").

To see a list of the demo programs available, type demo() at the R prompt and press enter. To execute the graphics demo (which will show the 2D graphic capabilities of R), for example, type demo(graphics) and press enter. Note that for graphics you need to login to skew3 using X-Win32 or any other X emulator.

To exit R, type q() at the R prompt.

The "R" binary in /usr/local/bin starts the package.

Examples and solutions

All installations of R include example programs under the "library" directory. This directory includes sub-directories for each module of the language.

In Kellogg's Unix server, the path to the "library" directory is:

/usr/local/lib/R/library

Sample programs for the base module of R, for example, can be found under /usr/local/lib/R/library/base/R-ex.