On Jan 7, 9:01 pm, Erik Funkenbusch <e...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> On Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:32:02 +0000, Roy Schestowitz wrote:
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> > Data Analysts Captivated by R¢s Power
>
> > ,----[ Quote ]
> >| It is also free. R is an open-source program, and its popularity reflects a
> >| shift in the type of software used inside corporations.
> >| Open-source software
> >| is free for anyone to use and modify. I.B.M., Hewlett-Packard and Dell make
> >| billions of dollars a year selling servers that run the open-source Linux
> >| operating system, which competes with Windows from Microsoft.
They also make a great deal of money in consulting and system support
of Linux
and Open Source Software running on Linux and AIX.
> >| Most Web sites
> >| are displayed using an open-source application called Apache, and companies
> >| increasingly rely on the open-source MySQL database to store their critical
> >| information. Many people view the end results of all this technology via the
> >| Firefox Web browser, also open-source software.
> > `----
> >http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/technology/business-computing/07pro...
> Kind of odd that the new york times would confuse a programming language
> with a program. They call R an "open source program", but languages, by
> definition are not programs. They are a specification that can be
> implemented, typically as both open source and closed source programs.
As usual you are technically correct. R is a language. Of course the
Interpreter/compiler (similar to PERL) IS a program, an implementation
of the language.
PERL is a language, but most PERL implementations are based on Larry
Wall's Open Source Implementation, which is a program. A few Windows
implementations have extensions that provide the ability to make calls
to the Windows graphics and display libraries. Most of these "plug-
ins" are carefully structured to assure a clear border between the OSS
software and the Proprietary (Microsoft) libraries.
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