R versus Other Statistical Software

In this paper we intend to present an overview of the advantages of using R – the most powerful statistical software. The statements on R are exposed versus SAS and SPSS – actually the most used statistical software in Romania. The study also focuses on comparing strengths and weaknesses of SAS, SPSS and R. As an example on how R is much more flexible that the other software, we used a statistical analysis. We will see how dominant R is already in the academia and how is predicted to be in the commercial. It is time now for opensource powerful software for official statistics as well as for companies and business.