Preparation before the course starts

It’s important to spend some time before the first class installing the required software and familiarizing yourself with R and Positron.

Essential setup before the first class

1) Install R and Positron

Throughout the course, we will use R — a powerful, open-source toolbox for handling and analyzing large datasets. One of R’s greatest strengths is its active community, which continuously develops and shares new packages to extend its functionality.

2) Install a code editor

A good editor will make your work much easier.

3) Install Git (only for Windows users; Mac users already have Git!)

Git is a version control tool — think of it as a combination of Dropbox (for unlimited, free rollbacks to previous file versions) and a messaging platform (to collaborate with team members).

4) Create a GitHub account (both Windows and Mac users)

Tip: Choose a professional GitHub username

Select a username you can also use in your professional profile (e.g., firstname.lastname). You will likely share your GitHub profile when applying for jobs.

Setup that can be done in the first week of the course

5) Install make (only Windows users; Mac users already have Make)

We will use Make to automate workflows — not to compile software, but to manage and reproduce the different steps in your data pipelines (e.g., preparing and analyzing data).

Optional tutorial

Never worked with the command line/bash/terminal? Then please develop your command line (Windows) / terminal (Mac) skills.