R is a high quality statistical computing system

R is comparable, and often superior, to commercial products when it comes to programming capabilities, complex systems development, graphic production, and community ecosystems. Researchers in statistics and machine learning, as well as many other data-related disciplines, will often publish R packages to accompany their publications. This translates into immediate public access to the very latest statistical techniques and implementations. Whatever model or graphic you're trying to develop, chances are that someone has already tried it, and if not, you can at least learn from their efforts.