Why is the name changing?
Our goal is to better reflect the product’s support for a wide range of different development environments, enabling data scientists to use their preferred IDE whether that is the RStudio IDE, JupyterLab, Jupyter Notebooks, or VSCode. RStudio Workbench is the best single platform to support open-source, code-oriented data science, whether your team is using R or Python.
The secondary reason is that RStudio Server Pro (RSP) was originally named when RStudio had only a single professional server product. Now, our modular platform includes RStudio Connect (enabling data scientists to securely share and deploy their work within their organizations), and RStudio Package Manager (to ease the maintenance of open source data science packages, and support reproducibility, in both the development and deployment environments). Renaming RStudio Server Pro to RStudio Workbench resolves this ambiguity, and better reflects the role of the product within a data science team.
Will my existing RStudio Server Pro instance stop working?
No. Existing RStudio Server Pro instances, licenses, and download files will not be affected. With that said, we strongly recommend the latest update (now RStudio Workbench) be installed to support the latest version of R 4.1.
Are there differences in the feature set between RStudio Server Pro and RStudio Workbench?
Yes. Importantly, installing RStudio Workbench will be required to run the latest version of R 4.1. We are also excited to announce that VS Code is now fully supported within RStudio Workbench, providing all the benefits of a server-based development environment, including working closer to your data, requesting compute resources, and working within a shared environment. For users, this is a massive improvement over local instances on their desktop.
In addition, there are several new improvements for Python coding, including code interruption, version display, installation discovery, publishing/knitting, and more. Also updated are new tools for tracking R’s memory usage, bug fixes, and other small improvements. See our release notes here for full details on all of the changes in this release.
If I have a current license for RStudio Server Pro (Single Server) and want to upgrade, what is the impact of this release?
For “RStudio Server Pro (Single Server)” specifically, there will be no brand or name change. However, as a customer of RStudio Server Pro (Single Server), you can upgrade to the Single Server configuration of this new release as you normally would, to take advantage of features such as the support for R 4.1. You can find the download for RStudio Server Pro (Single Server) here, on the RStudio Workbench download page. NOTE: That page and the download are branded as RStudio Workbench, but the download itself will provide the functionality of RStudio Server Pro (Single Server) when used with your existing license key. If you have any questions about licensing, please contact your Customer Success representative.
Do I need a new license for RStudio Workbench?
No; there will be no new license necessary for all users of RStudio Server Pro Named User (Standard and Enterprise) to migrate to RStudio Workbench. No new license will be required for existing users of RStudio Server Pro (Single Server) either, as explained in the previous question. You can find the download for RStudio Workbench here. Your same RStudio Server Pro license will work after the upgrade.
Will the price change?
No. The price will not change for instances of RStudio Server Pro Named User (Standard and Enterprise) going to RStudio Workbench. Similarly, the price to upgrade from RStudio Server Pro (Single Server) to RStudio Workbench (for both Standard and Enterprise) will be unchanged.
Will I need to upgrade/do I need to make changes or updates to my current configuration?
You do not need to upgrade immediately if you do not want to, unless you want to be able to use R 4.1. RStudio Server Pro versions earlier than 1.4.1717-3 (Juliet Rose) do not support R 4.1, whereas RStudio Workbench (which debuted with version 1.4.1717-3 Juliet Rose) does, so you will need to upgrade to get that capability.
The full list of supported versions of RStudio Server Pro and RStudio Workbench is on the Support page here. Earlier versions of RStudio Server Pro will remain under support until they expire under the existing terms of the Support Agreement.
Will my RStudio Server Pro configuration still work in RStudio Workbench? Do I need to make changes or updates to my current configuration during the upgrade from RStudio Server Pro to RStudio Workbench?
You do not need to make any changes; your current RStudio Server Pro configuration will work in RStudio Workbench after the upgrade.
If I am using RStudio Server Pro, is it still subject to the same professional support agreement?
Yes, the Support Agreement is the same for all RStudio products, including existing supported versions of RStudio Server Pro and the new RStudio Workbench. Your RStudio Server Pro instance is covered under the Support Agreement until its version expires, as usual.
How do I upgrade from RStudio Server Pro to RStudio Workbench?
Upgrading is simple: just download the new RStudio Workbench package and install it on your RStudio Server Pro host machine. The new server will install on top of the old server, and will load your existing RSP configuration files when you restart.
If you used the new VS Code feature in RStudio Server Pro during the beta period, we recommend using our upgrade scripts to update the way VS Code is installed in RStudio Workbench. Please see the admin guide for full instructions. In particular, launching Workbench with an older version of code-server will prompt you on how to upgrade code-server and will install the VS Code extension during the upgrade process.
Do I need to do any sort of migration from RStudio Server Pro to RStudio Workbench?
No, all you need to do is to download the new RStudio Workbench package and install it on your RStudio Server Pro host machine. There is no additional migration needed.
Will the IDE interface look different to users?
The IDE interface will look almost identical, with only a change to the name of the product on the Home page. There are various improvements and bug fixes throughout the IDE, but the overall interface is the same except for the name.
Will existing projects I created in RStudio Server Pro still work in RStudio Workbench?
Yes, they will work exactly the same as they did in RStudio Server Pro.
If I am using RStudio Package Manager and/or RStudio Connect, do I need to make any changes?
No, you do not. Those products remain unchanged, and RStudio Workbench’s integration with other RStudio servers will remain as you have configured them.
Is RStudio moving away from the R language?
No. RStudio has been and always will be an R centric platform. With the recent additions and support for Python in RStudio Workbench, it is our hope to help bring these two languages, and the teams that use them, closer together, and to make RStudio products the best single home for R and Python data science.
If I’m really only using R, will my experience change?
Yes! Most importantly, you will receive the full benefit of support for the latest version of R 4.1. This new version of R now adds new syntax (including a new pipe operator, |>) and a new graphics engine. As mentioned, to work with this latest version of R you will need the latest RStudio Workbench download here. Additionally, the RStudio Workbench release provides new tools for tracking R’s memory usage, as well as RStudio Desktop for macOS adding support for the Apple Silicon (aarch64) builds of R and multiple bug fixes that apply to RStudio as a whole.
What other languages does RStudio Workbench support?
RStudio Workbench provides support for both R and Python, leveraging both Jupyter and VS Code environments for Python users. The nice part is that you can easily switch between these languages and to use your choice for different projects, all without adding work for your IT team.
Why is the name changing for RStudio Server Pro, but not for the open-source server or desktop IDE?
The open-source server and desktop IDEs are solidly R-centric environments, which are well-known in the open source community. For this reason, we are only rebranding the commercial server version of the IDE, to reflect its support for multiple different development environments for use by R and Python data science teams.
How will registered apps like OneLogin, Okta, and Azure SAML continue to work?
We expect that the OneLogin, Okta, and Azure SAML portals will continue to list the IDE as RStudio Server Pro for several weeks until the update in the product name has been registered. However, these SSO apps themselves will continue to operate normally with the IDE since it is only the name that is changing, not the login functionality. There should be no disruption to users.
Whom should I contact if I have other questions?
If you have any additional questions about this change, please contact your Sales or Customer Success representative for more information.
Comments