Installing software

For the latest official advice and information about installing software on Cabinet Office IT please consult the intranet. This information is for general guidance and for security reasons is limited in detail.

Installing R and RStudio

R and RStudio can be installed on your machine from the Software Centre (Windows) or Self Service (Mac). For Windows installations you will need to make a Service Request via the Service Desk attaching line manager approval.

It can take time for the Software Centre/Self Service to be updated with the latest versions, if a newer version is available you can submit a Service Request to get it installed manually by the Service Desk.

Installing Anaconda (for Python)

Macs are supplied with Python 2.x pre-installed. Python 2.x is in the process of being discontinued.

As with R/RStudio for Mac and Windows you can install Python 3.x by installing Anaconda from the Software Centre (Windows) or Self Service (Mac). For Windows installations you will need to make a Service Request via the Service Desk attaching line manager approval.

Anaconda provides Python distributions, as well as several IDEs/tools for coding with Python. Out of the box Anaconda provides Jupyter Notebooks, Spyder, Pycharm, VSCode.

In addition to Python, Anaconda ships with R and RStudio, however depending on configuration settings the Anaconda versions may not work properly, and therefore it is recommended that R and RStudio are installed as outlined above.

Installing git

git is not available via the Software Centre (Windows) or Self Service (Mac), instead you must make a specific Service Request to the IT Service Desk to get git installed on your machine.

You will need to download git from the git-scm website. Then complete the a service request for software installation with the following details:

  • Software type: Analytical Software
  • Software name: Other
  • If other, please enter required software name: git
  • Is this software chargeable?: No

You will also need to provide a justification of business need. You should tailor for your own use but a good starting use case as follows:

I need Git to version control my code and work collaboratively with analysts in my team and across the department. Version control will reduce the chance for errors and minimise the storage burden of our work. It aso allows us to work in the open by pushing the version histories to GitHub, a website and cloud storage service. Working in the open is Principle 10 of the Government Design Principles: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-design-principles#make-things-open-it-makes-things-better

You will also need to attach an email with line manager approval for installation.