[R] R as a programming language

[Bert Gunter]

>> (Will someone here please write an O'Reilly's "Programming in R"?  :)

Someone already has ... see Venable and Ripley's S PROGRAMMING.

**However** R is more than a general purpose programming language: it is a
programming language specifically designed for data analysis -- including
statistical graphics -- and statistics. So, IMHO anyway, it's really
impossible to discuss it without reference to the data structures and
procedures underlying such tasks. Because it is targeted to do those sorts
of things well, it may handle poorly some things that general purpose
languages do well (minimizing storage with the use of references, for
example).

My own experience is that one appreciates the power and beauty of the
language and the wisdom of the designers the more one uses it in real
applications. But I am not a computer scientist and have only a limited
exposure to standard CS concepts and algorithms, to say nothing of "real"
programming experience. So just my $.02.

Best regards,

Bert Gunter
Genentech Nonclinical Statistics