General Information: README
***************************

     [file version.texi not included]

($Revision: 1.26 $, for ESS version essver)

This is the README file for the distribution of ESS version essver, the gamma series we are using on the way to producing 5.2 (the next stable distribution).  ESS is an Emacs-Lisp interface for interactive statistical programming and data analysis.  Languages supported include: S dialects (S 3/4, S-PLUS 3/4/5/6, and R), LispStat dialects (XLispStat, ViSta), and SAS.  Stata and SPSS dialect (SPSS, PSPP) support is being examined for possible future implementation (a preliminary Stata mode is distributed).

Installation help can be found in sections for Unix Installation or Windows Installion

ESS grew out of the desire for bug fixes and extensions to S-mode-4.8. In particular, XEmacs support as well as extensions to incorporate R were desired.  In addition, with new modes being developed for R, Stata, and SAS, it was felt that providing for a unifying framework would eliminate differences in the user interface, as well as to provide for faster development of production tools and statistical analysis.  5.1.x has, for its guts, the basic framework from S-mode. However, it has been cleaned, streamlined, brought closer to conformance as a standard GNU Emacs package, and redesigned for modularity and reuse.

The current development team is led by A.J. (Tony) Rossini (rossini@biostat.washington.edu), who did the initial port to XEmacs and has been the primary coder.  Martin Maechler (maechler@stat.math.ethz.ch) and Kurt Hornik (hornik@ci.tuwien.ac.at) have assisted with S-PLUS, S4, R, and XLispStat sub-modes, and Richard M. Heiberger (rmh@surfer.sbm.temple.edu) has assisted with S-PLUS (under MS Windows and remote access) and S4 development.  Richard and Rodney Sparapani (rsparapa@mcw.edu) have done much of the work for implementing the SAS sub-mode.  Douglas Bates (bates@stat.wisc.edu) contributed the initial S4 mode.

We are grateful to David M. Smith, the previous developer (for S-mode 3.x and 4.x), as well as to the initial developers of S-mode, Doug Bates, Ed Kademan and Frank Ritter.

In addition, some of the code has been and will be borrowed from Tom Cook (from his excellent SAS mode) and Thomas Lumley (preliminary Stata mode), gratefully (from us) and with permission (from them).

The name is ESS.  Not ESS-mode.

License
=======

     [file license.texi not included]

New Features
============

     [file newfeat.texi not included]

Current Features
================

     [file currfeat.texi not included]

Stability
=========

     [file stabilty.texi not included]

Requirements
============

     [file requires.texi not included]

Getting the Latest Version
==========================

     [file getting.texi not included]

Installation (from tar file)
============================

     [file inst_tar.texi not included]

Reporting Bugs
==============

     [file bugrept.texi not included]

Mailing Lists
=============

     [file mailing.texi not included]

Authors
=======

     [file authors.texi not included]