Organizer:

John Chambers, jmc@research.bell-labs.com

Chair:

Douglas Bates, bates@stat.wisc.edu

Panel Discussion
John Chambers and Bill Venables

These talks discuss key aspects of the S language and the S-Plus system, with emphasis on recent evolution and on what is important for using the software. The authors will provide separate but interconnected appraisals from the view of the research goals and of a user's experience. Topics to be covered include: recent changes; what matters in practical applications; comparisons with other software; future directions.