The article is FAQs about R Language, that is R Frequently Asked Questions (R FAQs).
Table of Contents
FAQS about R Language
Question: Why R language is named R?
Answer: The name of the R language is based on the first letters of its authors (Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka).
R Foundation
Question: What is the R Foundation?
Answer: The R Foundation is a non-profit organization working in the public interest, founded by the members of the R Core Team. This foundation provides support for the R project and other innovations in statistical computing and provides a reference point for individuals, institutions, or commercial enterprises who want to support or interact with the R development community. R foundation also holds and administers the copyright of R language software and its documentation. For more information about R Foundation follow the link https://www.R-project.org/foundation
Question: What is R-Forge?
Answer: R-Forge provides a central platform for the development of R packages, R-related software, etc. It is based on GForge and offers easy access to the best in SVN, daily built and checked R packages, mailing lists, bug tracking, message board or forum, website hosting, permanent file archival, full backups, and total web-based administration. For more information see
- The R-Forge web page
- Stefan Theußl and Achim Zeileis (2009), “Collaborative software development using R-Forge”, The R Journal, 1(1), 9-14.
Mailing Lists of R
Question: What mailing lists exist for R language?
Answer: There are four mailing lists devoted to R language
- R-announce: A moderated mailing list for major announcements about the R development and the availability of new R code.
- R-packages: A moderated mailing list for an announcement on the availability of new or further enhanced contributed packages.
- R-help: The main R mailing list for discussion and problems and solutions using R, announcements about the development of R, and the availability of new R code. R-help is intended for people who want to use R to solve problems.
- R-devel: A mailing list for questions and discussions about code development in R language.
R Language Documentation
Question: What documentation exists for R language?
Answer: For most of the R functions and variables in R online documentation exists and this documentation can be printed on screen by typing help(name) or “?name” at the R prompt, where the name is the name of the topic for which help is required. The R documentation can also be made available in PDF and HTML formats and as a hard copy via LaTeX. The up-to-date HTML version of R documentation is always available for web browsers at http://stat.ethz.ch/R-manual. A lot of R books and manuals are also available as R documentation.
R documentation refers to the various resources available to help you learn and use the R programming language.
- Official R Language Documentation: The R Project itself maintains a collection of manuals and guides covering different aspects of the R language. This includes (i) an introduction to R, (ii) Reference manuals for specific functions and packages, and (iii) information on using the R interface.
- Package Documentation: Many R packages also have their documentation, which one can access within the R environment using the help function. These help files (package documentation) explain how to use the specific functions and features provided by the package.
- Online Resources: Many online resources provide tutorials, explanations, and examples for working with R Language. These can be a great way to learn the language and find solutions to specific problems https://rdocumentation.org/.
- Books and Other Publications: There are also several books and other publications available that cover R in more depth. These books and publications can help get a more comprehensive understanding of the language and its capabilities.
How to get help in R follow the link Getting Help in R Language.