How to do it...

Once you have the version number, you simply need to install base R onto your computer. The step-by-step procedure is as follows:

1. Update etc/apt/source.list by adding an entry as follows:

        deb <cran mirror address>/bin/linux/ubuntu trusty/

1. Replace <cran mirror address> by putting an actual mirror link from the list of available mirrors from https://cran.r-project.org/mirrors.html. Remember that you must have administrator privileges to edit etc/apt/source.list.
2. Once you have performed the preceding step, type the following command to install R:

      sudo apt-get update
      sudo apt-get install r-base

1. The preceding two commands will complete the installation process and you can check whether R has been installed correctly or not, by typing R and hitting Enter on the Terminal window. If the R console opens, then you are ready to go:

1. Some of the users may need to compile R packages from the source code. In that case, you will need to install the following component of R:

      sudo apt-get install r-base-dev