Under many versions of UNIX and on Windows, R provides a mechanism for recalling and re-executing previous commands.

For Windows, Source is also available on the File menu.

CRAN also hosts many add-on packages that can be used to extend the functionality of R.

In 1996, a public mailing list was created (the R-help and R-devel lists) and in 1997 the R Core Group was formed, containing some people associated with S and S-PLUS.

TIBCO is the current owner of the S language and is its exclusive developer.

"Recommended packages also include boot, class, cluster, codetools, foreign, KernSmooth, lattice, mgcv, nlme, rpart, survival, MASS, nnet, Matrix.

Elementary commands can be grouped together into one compound expression by braces ('{' and '}').

If an expression is given as a command, it is evaluated, printed (unless specifically made invisible), and the value is lost.

At this point R commands may be issued.

For computationally-intensive tasks, C, C++ and Fortran code can be linked and called at run time.