Part 1. Getting started

Welcome to R in Action! R is one of the most popular platforms for data analysis and visualization currently available. It is free, open-source software, with versions for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems. This book will provide you with the skills needed to master this comprehensive software, and apply it effectively to your own data.

The book is divided into four sections. Part I covers the basics of installing the software, learning to navigate the interface, importing data, and massaging it into a useful format for further analysis.

Chapter 1 will familiarize you with the R environment. The chapter begins with an overview of R and the features that make it such a powerful platform for modern data analysis. After briefly describing how to obtain and install the software, the user interface is explored through a series of simple examples. Next, you’ll learn how to enhance the functionality of the basic installation with extensions (called contributed packages), that can be freely downloaded from online repositories. The chapter ends with an example that allows you to test your new skills.