Revolution Analytics and Microsoft R Product Ecosystem
The landscape of statistical computing was significantly shaped by the offerings of Revolution Analytics, which developed a suite of tools designed to enhance the capabilities of R, a widely used language for statistical computing and graphics. By bridging the gap between open-source flexibility and enterprise-grade performance, these products enabled data scientists to handle increasingly complex datasets.
The Revolution R Product Line
Launched on October 15, 2014, Revolution R was introduced in three distinct editions to cater to different user needs, ranging from individual developers to large-scale corporate environments.
Revolution R Open
Revolution R Open is a free, open-source distribution of R. It extends the standard R experience by adding specific features designed to improve performance and ensure reproducibility, which is the ability to obtain consistent results using the same data and code.
Revolution R Plus
For organizations requiring more security and reliability, Revolution R Plus offers technical support and open-source assurance. This edition provides legal indemnification subscriptions for Revolution R Open and other compatible open-source components.
Revolution R Enterprise
Designed for the era of Big Data, Revolution R Enterprise incorporates proprietary components to facilitate the statistical analysis of massive datasets. It is available via subscriptions for servers, workstations, databases, and Hadoop (a framework for distributed storage and processing of large datasets). Notably, single-user licenses are provided free of charge for academic users and participants in Kaggle data mining competitions.
[ไม่มีภาพประกอบ]Microsoft Integration and Rebranding
In January 2015, Microsoft rebranded and renewed several Revolution Analytics offerings to better integrate with major platforms, including SUSE Linux, Red Hat, Microsoft Windows, Teradata Database, and Hadoop. To support the developer community, Microsoft made several of these R-based tools available free of charge.
Microsoft R Server
Formerly known as Revolution R Enterprise for Hadoop, Linux, and Teradata, Microsoft R Server introduced new enterprise support and purchasing options. To foster education, this server was also made available to students through the Microsoft DreamSpark programme.
Microsoft R Server Developer Edition
The Microsoft R Server Developer Edition serves as a free version for developers, offering a feature set closely aligned with the commercial edition.
Microsoft Data Science Virtual Machine
Premiering in January 2015, the Microsoft Data Science Virtual Machine is a specialized analytics tool developed by the Revolution Analytics division to streamline the data science workflow.
Microsoft R Open
Microsoft R Open is the rebranded version of the original Revolution R Open distribution.
[ไม่มีภาพประกอบ]Key Facts
- Launch Date: Revolution R products were first announced on October 15, 2014.
- Open Source: Revolution R Open (later Microsoft R Open) is a free distribution focused on performance and reproducibility.
- Enterprise Support: Revolution R Enterprise provides proprietary tools for Big Data analysis across Hadoop and various databases.
- Academic Access: Free single-user licenses for Revolution R Enterprise are available for academics and Kaggle competitors.
- Microsoft Transition: In January 2015, Microsoft rebranded several products and offered free versions for developers.
Product Summary Table
| Product Name | Primary Focus | Availability/License |
|---|---|---|
| Revolution R Open / Microsoft R Open | Performance & Reproducibility | Free / Open Source |
| Revolution R Plus | Technical Support & Legal Assurance | Subscription |
| Revolution R Enterprise / Microsoft R Server | Big Data Statistical Analysis | Subscription (Free for Academics/Kaggle) |
| Microsoft R Server Developer Edition | Developer Tooling | Free |
| Microsoft Data Science Virtual Machine | Analytics Environment | Released January 2015 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Revolution R Open and Revolution R Plus?
Revolution R Open is a free, open-source distribution of R. Revolution R Plus is a subscription service that adds technical support and legal indemnification (open-source assurance) to the open-source components.
Who can get a free license for Revolution R Enterprise?
Single-user licenses for Revolution R Enterprise are available for free to academic users and individuals competing in Kaggle data mining competitions.
What happened to Revolution R Enterprise for Hadoop, Linux, and Teradata?
In January 2015, this product was rebranded as Microsoft R Server, which also introduced new purchasing options and enterprise support.
What is the Microsoft Data Science Virtual Machine?
It is an analytics tool developed by the Revolution Analytics division that was first released in January 2015.
Is there a free version of Microsoft R Server for developers?
Yes, the Microsoft R Server Developer Edition provides developers with a feature set similar to the commercial edition free of charge.