Microsoft R Open (formerly Revolution R Open) is an improved distribution of the R statistical analysis language that aims to bring enhancements regarding performance. Microsoft R Open contains the R software, and additional tools, scripts and packages designed to elevate the user experience.

Worth mentioning are the multi-threaded math libraries, the default CRAN repository, and the Reproducible R Toolkit that enables you to both share code and reproduce the outcome of a certain project.

Microsoft R Open comes with an installer package that automatically installs the R statistical languages and all required dependencies. Once launched, the Microsoft R Open user interface reflects the R console design, so you should be able to find your way around in no time.

Since R is the industry standard when it comes to manipulating statistical data and other scientific information, the community has developed numerous add-ons that can be installed free of charge.

On the Microsoft R Open website you get to browse the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) for new add-ons, read a small description for each entry, and find installation instructions. Microsoft R Open is fully compatible with all those packages.

By default, the R software is designed to work with a single thread at a time, regardless if your machine has multiple cores that can deal with the processing. Microsoft R Open integrates multi-threaded math libraries aimed to address this situation. As a result, tasks get done a faster.

Moreover, Microsoft R Open enables you to replicate the same results by creating a snapshot for the CRAN repository at installation. The snapshot is updated with each new Microsoft R Open release, which means that between updates you will use the same CRAN packages.

Microsoft R Open also uses the checkpoint technology to help you find the exact versions of packages that produced a certain result. This way, Microsoft R Open ensures that you have the possibility to reproduce a particular outcome.