[R] import data from Matlab & error msg when install package "e1071"

[David Meyer]

Yan Yu wrote:
> 
> Hello,
>   I am trying to import data from Matlab..
>   when i looked up R documentation, it says, package "e1071" have command
> (read.octave) to import data from octave.
> but when I tried to install package by using:
> install.packages("e1071");
> I got the following message: ( BTW, my platform is linux version 2.4.18-3
> my gcc is 2.96).
> 
> * Installing *source* package 'e1071' ...
> checking for C++ compiler default output... a.out
> checking whether the C++ compiler works... yes
> checking whether we are cross compiling... no
> checking for suffix of executables...
> checking for suffix of object files... o
> checking whether we are using the GNU C++ compiler... yes
> checking whether g++ accepts -g... yes
> configure: WARNING: g++ 2.96 cannot reliably be used with this package.
> configure: error: Please use a different C++ compiler.
> ERROR: configuration failed for package 'e1071'
> 
> I am wondering did anyone successfully install "e1071" on linux box, what
> gcc are you using?

Well, not `2.96', apparently, which actually does not exist (see former
messages in the mail archives on this topic). This `version' of gcc is
buggy and at least breaks the `svm' code in e1071, that's why this check
has been added. So you are well advised to upgrade your compiler suite
anyway.

> 
> Or Is there another way to import data from Matlab?
> 

Depends on your data. If you only have tabular data and your MATLAB file
uses ascii representation, `read.table' could be your friend. If you
insist on using `read.octave' from e1071 without updating your
C-compiler, just source the `read.octave.R' file from the source
package, it's plain R code and so is not affected by any C compiler. For
more complex data, you might consider using `StatDataML'---the R package
is on CRAN, the corresponding MATLAB functions will appear at

http://www.omegahat.org/StatDataML/

by the end of this week.

Best,
David.

> Thanks a lot,
> yan
> 
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