R (Language)
R is a high-level scripting language specially built for data analysis, data visualization, and statistical computing.
Brief History of R
In the early 1990's, the statistics Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman wanted a better way to teach introductory statistics. Their proposed solution was R, inspired by the previously established language S. (1). It then continued development and officially released version 1.0 in February 2000. After the 1.0 release, the R foundation was formed to manage its development onward (2).
How popular is it?
According to the tiobe index, a popularity index of over 8000 programming languages ranked by skilled engineers, R is rated to be in the top 8 (3). This rating system is based on how frequently used they are used in the industry, not popularity among developers. Other popular surveys have rated R at around the 25 mark, which is still impressive.
Why do we use it?
It's open-source and a part of the GNU project, making it free and accessible to all
(1).
Other than its accessibility, It's specialized to be better at analyzing data, which is a
booming industry for reasons mentioned in the other web-pages.
By default, the language hosts many packages useful for statisticians, and it provides a good
framework for developing further packages for data analysis
(2).
Industries that benefit heavily from this analysis include the data science industry, the
statistics industry, the finance industry, and the social media industry
(2).
Sources
1. R (programming language) Wikipedia Article
2. What is R? — An Introduction to The Statistical Computing Powerhouse