Why is R named as R?
The name of the language, R, comes from being both an S language successor and the shared first letter of the authors, Ross and Robert. In August 1993, Ihaka and Gentleman posted a binary file of R on StatLib — a data archive website. ChatGPT is a great resource for learning any new programming language, including R. R is an open-source, free programming language specifically built for statistical computing, including regression, time series, clustering, and hypothesis testing.Python and R are commonly used, versatile programming languages for data science and analytics. Unlike commercial tools such as SAS and SPSS, both languages are open-source, free for anyone to download.R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It compiles and runs on a wide variety of UNIX platforms, Windows and MacOS.R is an entire programming language created for statistical computing, while you likely know Excel primarily as a spreadsheet software that is part of the Microsoft Office Suite. However, you can use either program to perform statistical analyses, data visualizations, and calculations.
What is R used for?
R is a popular programming language that allows people to adeptly handle mass amounts of data, generate publication-quality visualizations, and perform a range of statistical and analytic computing tasks. Used in fields including data science, finance, academia, and more, R is powerful, flexible, and extensible. R programming is better suited for statistical learning, with unmatched libraries for data exploration and experimentation. Python is a better choice for machine learning and large-scale applications, especially for data analysis within web applications.The language is far from being forgotten; instead, it is carving out a niche where its strengths are most applicable. R’s future likely lies in coexistence with Python, where data scientists leverage the strengths of both languages.
Is R part of Python?
The main difference is that Python is a general-purpose programming language, while R has its roots in statistical analysis. Increasingly, the question isn’t which to choose, but how to make the best use of both programming languages for your specific use cases. Python, R, and STATA are three of the most popular and useful programming languages among economists, all offering unique strengths tailored to different analytical needs and goals.
Is R written in C or C++?
Reading R’s source code is an extremely powerful technique for improving your programming skills. However, many base R functions, and many functions in older packages, are written in C. Learning R is significantly harder than learning Excel. Still, it is orders of magnitude easier than learning any other programming language. This is clearly visible from the number of people with different backgrounds using R.