[R] R for Windows

[Richard Condit]

I've been a R user on Windows for about 8 months now, and I'm going to put 
in a plug for the Windows version.   I'll be teaching a workshop in 
statistics and data analysis next month to a group of scientists from 
developing countries  South Asia, Latin America, and Africa.  The 
institutions these scientists come from do not have the resources to 
purchase expensive software or run large computer systems.  So they all use 
PCs, and they all use Windows.  R for Windows is a marvelous resource for 
this group.

I had some experience last year with S+ when I discovered R.  I downloaded 
R for Windows on my own, consulting no one else who had heard of R, only 
reading the instructions posted at the website.  My personal experience was 
the following: everything worked perfectly.  I first downloaded R1020, then 
1022, and later some other packages.  In all cases, the download worked the 
first time, the HTML help worked immediately, and every function I have 
tried works as described.  Sure, in some cases the help section can be 
brief and cryptic, but with enough experimentation, the functions work.

So my plug is that R for Windows is a great system  sophisticated, 
complete, fairly easy-to-use, and free.  For many scientists outside the 
US, Europe, or Japan, it may be the best resource available.   I appreciate 
immensely the time and effort many people have put into creating R and 
making it available for Windows.

Richard Condit
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Panama

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