R 3.3.0 (codename “Supposedly Educational”) was released today. You can get the latest binaries version from here. (or the .tar.gz source code from here). The full list of new features and bug fixes is provided below.
Upgrading to R 3.3.0 on Windows
If you are using Windows you can easily upgrade to the latest version of R using the installr package. Simply run the following code in Rgui:
install.packages("installr") # install
setInternet2(TRUE)
installr::updateR() # updating R.
Running “updateR()” will detect if there is a new R version available, and if so it will download+install it (etc.). There is also a step by step tutorial (with screenshots) on how to upgrade R on Windows, using the installr package. If you only see the option to upgrade to an older version of R, then change your mirror or try again in a few hours (it usually take around 24 hours for all CRAN mirrors to get the latest version of R).
I try to keep the installr package updated and useful, so if you have any suggestions or remarks on the package – you are invited to open an issue in the github page.
CHANGES IN R 3.3.0
SIGNIFICANT USER-VISIBLE CHANGES
nchar(x, *)‘s argumentkeepNAgoverning how the result forNAs inxis determined, gets a new defaultkeepNA = NAwhich returnsNAwherexisNA, except fortype = "width"which still returns2, the formatting / printing width ofNA.- All builds have support for https: URLs in the default methods for
download.file(),url()and code making use of them.Unfortunately that cannot guarantee that any particular https: URL can be accessed. For example, server and client have to successfully negotiate a cryptographic protocol (TLS/SSL, …) and the server’s identity has to be verifiable via the available certificates. Different access methods may allow different protocols or use private certificate bundles: we encountered a https: CRAN mirror which could be accessed by one browser but not by another nor bydownload.file()on the same Linux machine.