Let’s begin by asking …

So what is a GUI, IDE, text editor in R, and why should I care?

GUI’s (Graphical User Interface) allow for drop-down menus, double/single-click shortcuts, and other options, as well as complex program operations. Quite simply, a GUI is a “shell” that sits on top of programs like R.

IDE’s (Integrated Development Environment) are programming environments for (more serious) software developers. They typically contain an editor for coding, tool building, and debugging capabilities.

What does a GUI and/or IDE have to do with my use of R?

Honestly, not much.

You have many options to work with in R; some calling themselves GUIs or IDEs, and some combining attributes of both. They are best for routine operations like changing directories, highlighting code for error detection, and (sometimes) graphics. Some are getting quite complex in their ability to integrate code, analytical outout, and text. These website pages, for example, were built using a tool available in R called markdown linked through RStudio. But no matter what GUI/IDE piques your interest, you still have to write code.

Last, you can also use simple editors (which is what cheerful dinosaurs like myself still use !!).

Some GUI/IDE/Editor options in R

Some commonly used R GUIs/IDEs/Editors available for W7/W8/W10, MAC, and Linux OSs are:

• R-Commander
• RStudio
• TinnR (Although still in common usage, TinnR officially archived in 2014, and it no longer works with R versions as of 14 Mar 2014)
• Notepad++ (Windows only)
• textmate (MAC only)
• GNU Emacs

All of these can be configured in a variety of different fashions, such as color-coding, “click” submission, and auto-entry.

BOTTOM LINE:

It makes absolutely no difference to R coding whether you use a GUI or IDE or Plain Vanilla Editor. Your choice of what to use in code development should be based on your analytical goals, and some measure of personal comfort.

Remember !! R is the analytical tool and is 100% independent of any GUI/IDE Editor.

I am a complete novice regarding R, what do I do ??

If you are starting as a novice in R, I recommend you consider RStudio as your GUI/IDE environment for learning and eventually using R. If you like Plain Vanilla editors, or are cheerfully comfortable being a dinosaur, I recommend Notepad++ and textmate for W7/W8/W10 and MAC OS’s, respectively. Many Linux users use GNU Emacs, although it also works on Windows and MAC OS.

END MODULE 2.2