The S language started as a project first developed in 1976 by John Chambers and his colleagues of the Bell Labs. It is a statistical programming package used for “organizing, visualizing, and analyzing data”(‘The S System’). Meanwhile, the R language can be described as an identical, yet free version of the S language. Developed as part of the GNU project, it is an open-source system that has numerous statistical and graphical uses. Burns.stat.com refers to R as the “dominant dialect” of the S language; however, it is one that is much more accessible as it is an open source system.
According to the GNU website, the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement promotes open-source software that is free in every sense of the word; it encourages liberty and accessibility. According to the GNU website, free software is determined by whether or not users’ have the ability to “run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software”(‘What is Free Software?’). The movement centers on four fundamental freedoms. The first freedom is the ability to run the program at one’s own discretion and for his/her own purposes. The second is the freedom to access the source code in order to study, analyze, and alter the program if necessary. The third and fourth freedoms involve redistribution; users should be able to redistribute both unmodified and modified copies for the sake of benefiting the entire community and enhancing knowledge. Essentially, the FOSS movement promotes openness, transparency, and access.
Sources:
The S System. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2018, from http://ect.bell-labs.com/sl/S/
What is free software? (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2018, from https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
Why use the R Language? (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2018, from http://www.burns-stat.com/documents/tutorials/why-use-the-r-language/