Supported Platforms and System Requirements
Overview of Spotfire S+ 8.1
What's New in Spotfire S+ 8.1
Improvements in Spotfire S+ 8.1
Known Issues in Spotfire S+ 8.1
R Compatibility
Module Support
Using Spotfire S+ for Solaris or Linux from a Windows Desktop
Getting Help in Spotfire S+
Technical Support
Appendix: New Functions in Spotfire S+ 8.1
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You can use Spotfire S+ 8.1 on the following Linux and UNIX-based platforms:
S-PLUS is now TIBCO Spotfire S+. For more information on this change, please visit http://spotfire.tibco.com/iful.
This version of Spotfire S+ introduces new packages, expanded package features, and improvements to the Spotfire S+ language, the Big Data library, and other libraries. We have added features to support working remotely with the Spotfire S+ Server. Also, we have updated third-party components, such as Java and Eclipse.
These release notes are intended to provide you with a high-level view of changes. We encourage you to read more detailed descriptions of the new and changed features in the Spotfire S+ documentation.
Spotfire S+ now offers the new resample Package, which was previously available as a package from CSAN or from the Insightful research download site. The package is now included with Spotfire S+ 8.1. To load the package, use library(resample).
The sjdbc package, formerly available on CSAN, now ships with Spotfire S+. The sjdbc package provides an interface to databases using Java's JDBC connectivity. For more information, from the Spotfire S+ prompt, type
library(sjdbc)
help(sjdbc)The rtftools package contains Spotfire S+ functions for writing out RTF files, including initialization, writing paragraphs, modifying text styles, writing tables, and writing WMF files to RTF. See RTFCodeExample.ssc for examples of some of the package functionality.
The Wavelets and Spatial Statistics modules are now included with core Spotfire S+ as packages. Environmental Statistics is now included with core Spotfire S+ on Windows.
library(wavelets).library(spatialstats). (Note that typing library(spatial) loads the spatial package, not the Spatial Statistics package.) library(envstats).Spotfire S+ now offers on the CSAN Website (http://spotfire.tibco.com/csan) the Sweave package. Sweave is a convenient way for package authors to integrate Spotfire S+ code and Latex documentation for vignettes, analyses, and reports.
Spotfire S+ now offers the FlexBayes package on Windows. FlexBayes provides tools for modeling data using the Bayesian paradigm for statistical inference. Bayesian modeling offers the following advantages over classical or frequentist modeling:
The Spotfire S+ Workbench now provides user interface support for finding packages from a Web server (via URL) or from a specified local repository. Also, it supports updating packages that you currently have on your system. The Spotfire S+ Workbench also provides support for exporting a package. See the Spotfire S+ Workbench User's Guide for more information.
The Guide to Packages is updated to include information about creating grapical user interfaces for packages on Windows. The pkgutils package has been enhanced to support building these on Winodws
The Spotfire S+ Workbench now supports sending a remote script request to a Spotfire S+ Server. Using the interface provided in the Workbench, you can send:
You must have access to a Spotfire S+ Server to use remote script execution. For more information about using this new feature, see the Spotfire S+ Workbench User's Guide.
The Big Data library now includes three functions:
bd.assoc.rules()bd.assoc.rules.get.item.counts()bd.assoc.rules.graph()x_1:10) is deprecated in this version of Spotfire S+. Use
"<-" or "=" instead. For() function is deprecated in Spotfire S+ 8.1; it is obsolete (that is, will not work) in the Spotfire S+ Workbench. (NOTE: Not to be confused with the for() function.)commandArgs() function was removed.help() function to display HTML help files on UNIX/Linux,
is no longer distributed with Spotfire S+. You can download it separately
as part of the 'pkgutils' package (using the install.pkgutils() function) and
then help() will use it. If you cannot download pkgutils, then help()
will try to use one of 'lynx', 'links', 'less', or 'more' to view HTML help files, although
none of them work as well as slynx. To try another text-based HTML browser, set
options(help.pager="yourBrowser"). For a list of bugs fixed since the last release (S-PLUS 8.0.4), see the file FIXEDBUG.TXT in the doc directory of your installation.
Spotfire S+ now ships with version 1.6 of the JRE.
java.graph() now interprets file extensions.java.graph() required the format argument for file types other than JPEG. Now, if you specify a file extension in the file argument, java.graph() interprets that extension to produce the specified format. If no extension, or an unsupported extension is specified, java.graph() defaults to JPEG.
Spotfire S+ now includes the function RNGkind() for specifying the type of random number generator to use. Also, Spotfire S+ supports using the Mersenne-Twister random number generator. See the RNGkind Help file for details.
STATA version 10 data files are now supported for import and export.Support for STATA export includes the new type STATASE, which can handle exporting datasets with up to 32,767 variables. (The number of observations is limited only by the amount of RAM in your computer.) Note that exporting using the type="STATA" limits the number of variables to 2,047.
When you import regular Stata or Stata/SE files, just use type="STATA". Specify type="STATASE" only when you call exportData to export data having more than 2,047 variables.
splus.home in your Eclipse installation.)java.new.plot.action. (Previously, to change to or from tabbed graphics, you had to use the Graph Options dialog.) For more information on using these new features, see the Spotfire S+ Workbench User's Guide.
<bdFrame>$newcol <- newvals is now faster.bd.unique(): Now uses less memory.bd.univariate() : Now much faster when calculating only cached values like mean, min, and max.
Performs faster quantile calculation.matrix(<bdVector>, byRow=F): Now uses less memory and is faster.rep(1,1e7,bigdata=T): Now much faster.rep(<bdVector>,<bdVector>,bigdata=T): Now much faster.bdFrame(Col=<long vector>): Now uses less memory.bd.object.info(): Use for examining a bdVector or bdFrame.bd.tally(): Use to measure internal Big Data operations.bd.cache.temp.dir(): Use to set the temporary cache file directory.bd.block.apply():"out.object", documented in the Help."args" argument in Help.bd.remove.missing(): if key.columns is not given, methods="last" uses the previous row value.bd.univariate(): fix calculated values of mode, quantile.bdFrame, as.bdFrame: handle AsIs and model.matrix objects.importData(): Has a new argument colStringWidths (used only when bigdata=T).ifelse() now works with Big Data.The following functions have been added to Spotfire S+ to provide density, cumulative probability, quantiles, and random generation for a discrete distribution. See their Help topic for more information.
ddiscrete()pdiscrete()qdiscrete()rdiscrete() isTRUE() function. tempdir() function, which returns the name of the directory in which temporary files will be made.summary.lm() now can output the adjusted multiple R-squared statistic for the model.rect() function, like R's rect() function.preplot.gam() has been modified to allow plot.gam to work with choxph models that contain pspline terms.type="binary".data.dump() now writes to "dumpdata.sdd" instead of just "dumpdata", and dump() now writes to "dumpdata.q" instead of just "dumpdata".weights and freq:
hist()qqnorm()qqline()quantile()mean(), median(), and tabulate() now contain the weights argument.nclass.fd(), nclass.scott(), and nclass.sturges()) now contain the freq argument.library() now contains the dependencies and warn.conflicts arguments.ltsreg() and lmsreg() is now called formula instead of object.PROC CPORT. Branding Update In this version, you might see inconsistencies in product names, images, and branding as we migrate to our new name and identity. We appreciate your patience as we work though the name and branding processes.
Big Data library does not convert variable names on import. When you import data using the argument bigdata=T, variables containing characters considered "illegal" by the standard S language are retained. (That is, while the S language does not recognize any character other than a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and period, the Big Data library allows all characters.) When standard Spotfire S+ converts input data to a data frame, it modifies any variable names containing an illegal character, replacing any illegal characters with a period (".") character. For example, if a variable name includes a space ("a b") or an underscore ("a_b"), then in standard Spotfire S+, a period replaces the space or underscore ("a.b"). The Big Data library does not follow this convention; rather, it retains variable names on import.
If you are upgrading from S-PLUS version 8.0 to Spotfire S+ 8.1, the following items do not apply; however, certain improvements to Spotfire S+ 8.1 might result in scripts written for versions of S-PLUS prior to 8.0 not working as expected. This is especially true for workarounds for pre-existing issues, or for the new graphics enhancements.
The par("col") value is now a character string representing an RGB value. Previously,
par("col") was an integer. If you have code that did numeric operations on the par("col") value (for
example, col=par("col")+1), the code now fails. Note that you can still set col to a number (for example,
par(col=3)).
Changes to cex, font, and col If you specify display
characteristics using the cex, font, and col arguments, they apply only to the plot's
data representation.
Setting color maps can produce unexpected results. Device-specific colormap settings and manipulations
apply only when use.device.palette(T) (or when use.legacy.graphics(T) because it sets
use.device.palette(T)). Because of this issue, by default, setting Color Schemes from the
Options menu does not affect command-line graphics. See the help topic for use.device.palette()
for more information.
Big Data library section no longer loaded by default The S-PLUS 7 Enterprise Developer edition
included the Big Data library section, and this library section was loaded by default. In Spotfire S+ 8.1, it is no longer loaded
automatically. To load it at startup, add library(bigdata) to your SHOME/local/S.init. Note
that SHOME/S.init should not be used. Instructions for editing this S.init file are in
SHOME/local/README.
Graphics functions no longer accept list values. Previously, the graphics system accepted
single-element lists as arguments for many functions. For example, the labels argument to the axis()
function could be a list, such as the following:
axis(side=3, at=c(2,6), labels=list(c("a","b")))
The new graphics system no longer supports this behavior, and the above example causes an error. If your existing code
breaks because of this change, call the unlist() function to transform the list value.
Workarounds for importing missing columns could cause problems. If you have implemented custom code to work around the pre-existing issues, you could encounter problems importing data in Spotfire S+ 8.1.
Changes to substituteString()'s replacement argument. Treatment of backslashes
(\\) in substituteString()'s replacement argument in Spotfire S+ 8.1 has changed, so it is no longer compatible
with previous versions of S-PLUS (7.0 and earlier). This change accommodates R's implementation of string replacement. See the
help for substituteString() for more information.
For a more thorough listing of R versus Spotfire S+ comparisons, see the TIBCO Spotfire support Web site FAQ.
aggregate.rts() has changed and new arguments for R compatibility.Previously, aggregate.rts() was defined as follows:
aggregate(x, nf=1, fun=sum, ndeltat=1)
Now it is:
aggregate(x, nfrequency=1, FUN=sum, ndeltat=1, ts.eps = .Options$ts.eps, ..., fun)
For more information, see its Help file.
Logical values are now printed as TRUE and FALSE, not T and F. (Note that Expressions involving T and F still print them as T and F, because they are stored by name, not by value, in expressions.)
Spotfire S+ 8.1 will support the following Spotfire S+ modules. For module version information, see the module's release notes in the SHOME/module/modulename directory.
| Module | Platform |
| S+FinMetricsTM | Windows, Solaris, Linux 32/64-bit |
| S+NuOPT | Windows, Solaris, Linux 32/64-bit |
| S+SeqTrialTM | Windows |
To get help on a particular function, use the help() or ? functions. The help system contains online help files for all the Spotfire S+ libraries that are attached at startup; help files for other libraries are available once the libraries are attached.
These manuals are also available as Adobe Acrobat PDF files in $SHOME/doc:
| Book Name | File Name |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Application Developer’s Guide | adg.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Installation and Administration Guide | admin.pdf |
| Big Data Library User’s Guide for TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 | bigdata.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Function Guide | functionguide.pdf |
| Getting Started with TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 for UNIX/Linux | getstart.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Guide to Graphics | graphics.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Guide to Packages | spluspackages.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Programmer's Guide | pg.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Guide to Statistics, Volume 1 | statman1.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Guide to Statistics, Volume 2 | statman2.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 for for UNIX/Linux User’s Guide | uguide.pdf |
| TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Workbench User's Guide | workbench.pdf |
Also, you can find the TIBCO Spotfire S+ 8.1 Installation and Administration Guide (admin.pdf) at the root level of your installation media.
Solaris/Linux versions of Spotfire S+ might be accessed remotely from a Windows desktop using X-server software for displaying graphics. Spotfire S+ has been tested with the following products:
The graphical user interface (GUI) performance of Spotfire S+ depends upon the X-server software. The performance of the underlying Spotfire S+ engine is not affected. The following notes describe configurations that have been found to produce the best results. No significant issues were noted. Following are some observations that pertain to X-Win32:
When using some versions of X-Win32 to start-up X-applications on your desktop, we have found that the "multiple windows" setting causes some latency in GUI response and some defects in displaying GUI elements. We recommend running in "single window" mode. If you are connecting with XDMCP, then running in "single window" mode should present you with a default window manager from which you might run Spotfire S+. If you are connecting with rsh or rexec in "single window" mode, the application might be displayed in a "raw" X-session that lacks a window manager. We recommend that you start the Solaris default window manager (/usr/dt/bin/dtwm) using either the X-Win32 "Command" option, or from an xterm on the Solaris host. Once the window manager has been launched, the Spotfire S+ application should run and display successfully.NOTE : the graphical user interface for Spotfire S+ on UNIX/Linux is deprecated in this release.
For technical support, please visit http://spotfire.tibco.com/support and register for a support account.
| Function name(s) | Description |
bd.assoc.rules | Generates association rules. |
bd.assoc.rules.get.item.counts | Counts association rule items. |
bd.assoc.rules.graph | Creates a plot of a set of association rules. |
bd.cache.temp.dir | Sets and retrieves the directory used for creating temporary cache files. |
bd.object.info | Extracts internal information about a bdFrame or bdVector object. |
bd.run.iminer.worksheet | From the Spotfire S+ Server, runs an Insightful Miner worksheet in batch mode. |
bd.tally | Measures internal Big Data operations. |
combinations | Returns all combinations or permutations of size k elements out of n. |
combn | Generates combinations of m elements out of x. |
contentsData | Gets the names of all data sets, sheets, or tables in a specified data file or database. |
ddiscrete | Gets the density for a discrete distribution. |
emf.graph | Creates an enhanced metafile file. |
groupAlls, groupAlls.data.frame, | Computes group sums, means, variances, standard deviations for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupAnys, groupAnys.data.frame, | Computes group sums, means, variances, standard deviations, or other summaries for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupMaxs, groupMaxs.data.frame, | Computes group max for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupMeans, groupMeans.data.frame, | Computes group means for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupMins, groupMins.data.frame, | Computes group mins for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupProds, groupProds.data.frame, | Computes group products for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupRanges, groupRanges.data.frame, | Computes group ranges for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupStdevs | Computes group standard deviations for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupSums, groupSums.data.frame, | Computes group sums for a vector or columns of an array. |
groupVars, groupVars.data.frame, | Computes group variances for a vector or columns of an array. |
isTRUE | Test for logical object of length one with value TRUE. |
java.new.plot.action | Java graphics action on a new plot. (spjava package) |
packageDescription | Gets the description of the specified package. |
panel.hexbin | Panel function for hexbins. |
panel.hexbin.lmline | Panel function for hexbins. |
panel.hexbin.loess | Panel function for hexbins. |
panel.hexbin.smooth.spline | Panel function for hexbins. |
pdiscrete | Gets the cumulative probability for a discrete distribution. |
permutations | Returns all combinations or permutations of size k elements out of n. |
qdiscrete | Gets the quantiles for a discrete distribution. |
rdiscrete | Gets the random generation for a discrete distribution. |
rect | Draws and shades rectangles |
RNGkind | Sets and inspects the state of the random number generator. |
strwrap | Wraps character strings for paragraph formatting. |
subtractMeans | Subtract group means from each entry for a vector or columns of an array. |
Sys.setenv | Sets environment variables for use by other processes called from S-PLUS. |
tempdir | Returns the name of the directory in which temporary files will be made. |
write.dcf | Reads and writes data in DCF format. |