Evaluating the Design of the R Language Objects and Functions For Data Analysis

Abstract. R is a dynamic language for statistical computing that combines lazy functional features and object-oriented programming. This rather unlikely lin-guistic cocktail would probably never have been prepared by computer scientists, yet the language has become surprisingly popular. With millions of lines of R code available in repositories, we have an opportunity to evaluate the fundamental choices underlying the R language design. Using a combination of static and dynamic program analysis we assess the success of different language features.