Getting set up

Before the first session, install:

• R or Python — Install R or Install Python
• Git — Install Git
• A code editor (choose one):
  • RStudio — great for R
  • VS Code — great for Python or R
  • Positron — great for Python or R

You’ll also need to create a GitHub account before session 3.

📦 Packages

Ideally, you should have sufficient admin rights on your machine to install the packages that you need as and when you require them. To start off with, here are some packages that we recommend for R and Python:

Recommended Python packages

• uv for package management
• pandas for data wrangling
• ruff for formatting and linting

Recommended R packages

• {tidyverse} collection of R packages

☁️ Cloud environment

If you have issues using R or Python on your work computer, we have set up GitHub Codespace templates as a backup. GitHub codespace is a free online environment where you can run code without installing anything. However, there are some limitations.

• Limited to 60 free hours per month
• Takes time to load
• Limited for later work on your own project
• Cloud based - you cannot upload sensitive data

You’ll get much more from this programme if you’re able to work on your own machine.