An Daft of a Paper for Interface '98
R began as an experiment in trying to use the methods of Lisp implementors to build a small testbed which could be used to trial some ideas on how a statistical environment might be built. Early on, the decision was made to use an S-like syntax. Once that decision was made, the move toward being more and more like S has been irresistible.R has now outgrown its origins and its development is now a collaborative effort undertaken using the Internet to exchange ideas and distribute the results. The focus is now on how the initial experiment can be turned into a viable piece of free software.
This paper reviews the past and present status of R and takes a brief look at where future development might lead.
These binaries (installable software) and packages are in development.
They may not be fully stable and should be used with caution. We make no claims about them.