The Bioconductor user community is large and international (Table 1). Users benefit from the project in different ways. A typical encounter with Bioconductor (Box 1) starts with a specific scientific need, for example, differential analysis of gene expression from an RNA-seq experiment. The user identifies the appropriate documented workflow, and because the workflow contains functioning code, the user runs a simple command to install the required packages and replicate the analysis locally. From there, she proceeds to adapt the workflow to her particular problem. To this end, additional documentation is available in the form of package vignettes and manual pages. She can load further packages with additional functionality. When help is needed, the user can turn to the support forum with questions on the software and the underlying science, and she can attend training courses and conferences. Some users move from using to developing software, and Bioconductor encourages this transition.
