What is R?

R

• is an open-source statistical programming language.
• available for most operating systems
• helps users analyze, visualize, and model data—from simple summaries to complex data analysis
• is extremely popular in statistics and data science, see this article
• includes thousands of packages (add-ons) that can be used for specialized tasks without a deep understanding of the language and programming skills
• allows for extensive programming, making it also suitable for advanced or case-specific applications of statistical methods

The combination of the latter two aspects sets R apart and makes it useful for everything ranging from standard ‘basic’ statistical analysis to the development of new methods.

The homepage of R is www.r-project.org from which you can install R and access manuals that provide detailed information about installing and using R.

R Installation

To install R, go to the Comprehensive R Archive Network CRAN. At the time of writing, it looks as follows:

R Installation on Windows

To download, for instance, R for Windows, you arrive at the following page:

R Installation on Windows

Now download the latest version of R (version 4.6.0 at the time of writing):

R Installation on Windows

Start the download process:

R Installation on Windows

Continue the download process:

R Installation on Windows

Download completed:

R Installation on Mac

Choose the right version for your Mac:

R Installation on Mac

Download the installation file and open it:

R Installation on Mac

Simply click continue everywhere, the default installation is fine.

• When asked, enter your password and accept the license agreement.

What is RStudio?

RStudio

• is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for R

• is a user-friendly interface for writing and running R code

• makes it easier to write code, analyze data, create visuals, access documentation and manage projects

Its homepage is https://posit.co/download/rstudio-desktop/

RStudio Installation on Windows

To download RStudio, go to its download page. At the time of writing, it looks as follows:

RStudio Installation on Windows

Start the download process:

RStudio Installation on Mac

If you open the (same) download page on Mac, you directly see the download button for Mac:

RStudio Installation on Mac

Open the downloaded RStudio dmg file, and drag the RStudio icon into the applications folder: