S-PLUS
Implementation of the S programming language
title: "S-PLUS" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["programming-languages", "proprietary-commercial-software-for-linux", "statistical-software"] description: "Implementation of the S programming language" topic_path: "technology/programming-languages" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-PLUS" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Implementation of the S programming language ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | S-PLUS |
| developer | TIBCO Software Inc. |
| latest_release_version | 8.2 |
| latest_release_date | |
| operating_system | Windows, Unix/Linux |
| genre | Statistical package |
| license | Proprietary |
| :: |
|name = S-PLUS |logo = |screenshot = |caption = |developer = TIBCO Software Inc. |latest_release_version = 8.2 |latest_release_date = |operating_system = Windows, Unix/Linux |genre = 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.
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. It is available on Windows and UNIX operating systems.
Historical timeline
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/S-Plus_floppy_disks.png" caption="S-PLUS floppy disk installation media"] ::
In 1988, S-PLUS was first developed and released by a Seattle-based start-up company called Statistical Sciences, Inc. 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. 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.
Statistical Sciences acquired the exclusive license to distribute S and merged with MathSoft in 1993, becoming the firm's Data Analysis Products Division (DAPD).
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. 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. 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.
References
References
- (2009-06-25). "Palgrave Handbook of Econometrics: Volume 2: Applied Econometrics". Springer.
- "What Makes TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R (TERR) Unique?".
- (2005-12-16). "Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, Volume 12". John Wiley & Sons.
- (2015-12-16). "R in 24 Hours, Sams Teach Yourself". Sams Publishing.
- (2002-07-30). "Generalized Estimating Equations". CRC Press.
- (2013-03-09). "S Programming". Springer Science & Business Media.
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20010303113409/http://www.insightful.com/news/insightful.html MATHSOFT SELLS ENGINEERING AND EDUCATION PRODUCTS DIVISION; COMPANY APPOINTS NEW CEO AND CHANGES NAME TO INSIGHTFUL]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080914153015/http://tibco.com/company/news/releases/2008/press924.jsp TIBCO Completes Acquisition of Insightful Corporation], press release, TIBCO Software Inc., September 3, 2008.
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