install.package errors

[Prof Brian D Ripley]

On Wed, 22 Dec 1999, Paul Gilbert wrote:

> Paul Johnson
> 
> I'm copying this to R-devel because I think the warning messages might
> be improved a bit (and I'm not sure what the problem is but there may
> also be a bug). I think the install.packages() and update.packages()
> mechanism is very exciting. It speeds and simplifies updates, which is
> very important when things are changing as rapidly as they are now
> changing, but it still has a few rough edges.
> 
> > I'm a complete R-package novice.
> >What am I doing wrong:
> 
> >>install.packages(c("syskern","tframe","dse"),contriburl="http://www.bank-banque-canada.ca/pgilbert/dse/R")
> 
> >sh: wget: command not found
> >Error: Object "x" not found
> >In addition: Warning message:
> >argument `lib' is missing: using /usr/lib/R/library in:
> >install.packages(c("syskern", "tframe", "dse"), contriburl =
> >"http://www.bank-banque-canada.ca/pgilbert/dse/R")
> 
> First of all, you might try install.packages(c("tseries", "VR")) or some
> other packages directly from CRAN to see if you get a similar error.
> Installing from my server by setting contriburl is still somewhat
> experimental (and perhaps unorthodox).  Syskern and tframe are standard
> packages, but dse is a bundle of two packages together. This is
> something new in R 0.90.1 which I don't think was supported in 0.90.0.

Right.

> Also, I think install.packages is only supported in Unix so far, and it

Also fully supported on Windows, but you need wget.exe (which we put on
CRAN) or lynx.exe.

[...] 
> Install.packages uses download.file() which by default tries to
> determine if you have cp, wget, or lynx for getting a file from a server
> on the Internet. The message "sh: wget: command not found" suggests you
> do not have wget and, if I understand things correctly, download.files
> has already not found cp and will next try lynx. If it does not find
> lynx it returns the message "No download method found", and since you
> did not get that message I think lynx must have been found. I get the
> "argument 'lib' is missing ..." warning, but it does not seem to be a
> problem. It may be a problem if you do not have write permission in the
> directory where R is installed.

It is a warning. You are supposed to specify where you want the files
put (in which local library).   If you do not, it will pick the first in 
the list (.lib.loc) and tell you what it has done, in case it surprises
you. As Paul G says. you may need to specify an alternative. (The help
file does point out that you will get a warning: it always helps to read
the help, if only so you can tell us it is not good enough!)

Brian

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley@stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272860 (secr)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595

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