Chapter 1
Introducing R: The Big Picture
In This Chapter
Discovering the benefits of R
Identifying some programming concepts that make R special
With an estimated worldwide user base of more than 2 million people, the R language has rapidly grown and extended since its origin as an academic demonstration language in the 1990s.
Some people would argue — and we think they’re right — that R is much more than a statistical programming language. It’s also:
A very powerful tool for all kinds of data processing and manipulation
A community of programmers, users, academics, and practitioners
A tool that makes all kinds of publication-quality graphics and data visualizations
A collection of freely distributed add-on packages
A toolbox with tremendous versatility
In this chapter, we fill you ...
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