Software:S-PLUS
| Developer(s) | TIBCO Software Inc. |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 8.2
/ November 2010 |
| Operating system | Windows, Unix/Linux |
| Type | Statistical package |
| License | Proprietary |
S-PLUS is a commercial implementation of the S programming language sold by TIBCO Software Inc.
It features object-oriented programming capabilities and advanced analytical algorithms. Its statistical analysis capabilities are commonly used by econometricians. The S-PLUS FinMetrics software package was developed for econometric time series analysis.[1]
Due to the increasing popularity of the open source S successor R, TIBCO Software released the TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R (TERR) as an alternative R interpreter.[2] It is available on Windows and UNIX operating systems.[3]
Historical timeline

In 1988, S-PLUS was first developed and released by a Seattle-based start-up company called Statistical Sciences, Inc.[4] The company's founder and sole owner was R. Douglas Martin, professor of statistics at the University of Washington, Seattle. Martin originally learned S while working at Bell Laboratories, where the S language was originally developed.[1] At the time of its release, S-PLUS was one of the first examples of software that implemented algorithms for generalized linear models, second to GLIM.[5]
Statistical Sciences acquired the exclusive license to distribute S and merged with MathSoft in 1993, becoming the firm's Data Analysis Products Division (DAPD).[6]
In 1995, S-PLUS 3.3 for Windows 95/NT was released, including the Matrix library, command history capability, and Trellis graphics. This was followed by the release of S-PLUS 3.4 for UNIX in 1996. This version included a non-linear mixed-effects modeling library, hexagonal binning, and cluster methods. S-PLUS 4 was released for Windows in 1997, with features such as an updated GUI, integration with Excel, and editable graphics. S-PLUS 4.5 for Windows in 1998, with Scatterplot brushing, and the ability to create S-PLUS graphs from within Excel & SPSS. The software also became available for Linux & Solaris.
In 1999, S-PLUS 5 was released for Solaris, Linux, HP-UX, AIX, IRIX, and DEC Alpha. S-PLUS 2000 for Windows. nlme 3.3, quality control charting, and new commands for data manipulation. This was followed by S-PLUS 6 for Linux/Unix in 2000. This version had a Java-based GUI, Graphlets, survival5, and a library for handling missing data.
In 2001, MathSoft sold its Cambridge-based Engineering and Education Products Division (EEPD), was renamed Insightful Corporation, and moved headquarters to Seattle. This essentially reversed the previous merger between MathSoft and Statistical Sciences, Inc.[7] S-PLUS Analytic Server 2.0. S-PLUS 6 was released for Windows in 2001.
In 2002, StatServer 6 was released and the student edition of S-PLUS became free. S-PLUS 6.2 was released and ported to AIX. In 2004, Insightful purchased the S language from Lucent Technologies for $2 million, and released S+ArrayAnalyzer 2.0.
S-PLUS 7.0 was released in 2005, including the BigData library for working with larger-than-memory data sets and the S-PLUS Workbench (Eclipse development tool). Insightful Miner 7.0 was also released. In 2007, S-PLUS 8 was released with a new package system, language extensions for R package compatibility, and a workbench debugger.
TIBCO acquired Insightful Corporation for $25 million in 2008.[8]
See also
- R programming language
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mills, Terence C.; Patterson, Kerry (2009-06-25) (in en). Palgrave Handbook of Econometrics: Volume 2: Applied Econometrics. Springer. pp. 1339. ISBN 978-0-230-24440-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=pjIWDAAAQBAJ&dq=s+plus+douglas+r+martin&pg=PA1339.
- ↑ Bajuk-Yorgan, Lou. "What Makes TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R (TERR) Unique?". https://www.tibco.com/blog/2014/08/06/26509/.
- ↑ (in en) Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, Volume 12. John Wiley & Sons. 2005-12-16. pp. 8088. ISBN 978-0-471-74406-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=8plKEAAAQBAJ&dq=s+plus+douglas+r+martin&pg=PA8088.
- ↑ Nicholls, Andy; Pugh, Richard; Gott, Aimee (2015-12-16) (in en). R in 24 Hours, Sams Teach Yourself. Sams Publishing. ISBN 978-0-13-428880-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=IPA0CwAAQBAJ&dq=s+plus+tibco&pg=PP31.
- ↑ Hardin, James W.; Hilbe, Joseph M. (2002-07-30) (in en). Generalized Estimating Equations. CRC Press. pp. 12. ISBN 978-1-4200-3528-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ux7NBQAAQBAJ&dq=trevor+hastie+s+language&pg=PA12.
- ↑ Venables, William; Ripley, B. D. (2013-03-09) (in en). S Programming. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 3. ISBN 978-0-387-21856-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=juAlBQAAQBAJ&dq=statistical+sciences+mathsoft+merger+1993&pg=PA3.
- ↑ MATHSOFT SELLS ENGINEERING AND EDUCATION PRODUCTS DIVISION; COMPANY APPOINTS NEW CEO AND CHANGES NAME TO INSIGHTFUL
- ↑ TIBCO Completes Acquisition of Insightful Corporation, press release, TIBCO Software Inc., September 3, 2008.
