The R programming language is marvellously expressive for interactive data analysis. But for computer programmers coming to R from other languages, it can seem a little idiosyncratic. John D Cook puts it well:
R is more than a programming language. It is an interactive environment for doing statistics. I find it more helpful to think of R as having a programming language than being a programming language. The R language is the scripting language for the R environment, just as VBA is the scripting language for Microsoft Excel. Some of the more unusual features of the R language begin to make sense when viewed from this perspective.
John has put together a handy introduction to R aimed at programmers. It takes you through the basics of R: objects, functions, vectors, and so on, with nods towards the similarities and differences with respect to languages like C++, Java and Python. If you're already skilled in one of those languages and thinking of starting with R, this is a great place to start.
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