[R] I am surprised (and a little irritated)

[Gabor Csardi]

Tom,

I'm irritated as well. Your email should go to some suse mailing list, 
this is a suse problem, it has (almost) nothing to do with R.

Unfortunately i can't help you (even if i wanted), because i don't want to
read the suse manuals. But if you want to use suse you may consider reading
them.

Gabor

On Wed, Apr 19, 2006 at 09:05:22PM +0200, Tom Backer Johnsen wrote:
> I have started with using R on Windows, and I am really happy about 
> the system.  Now, one of my other ambitions is to learn how to use 
> Linux, so yesterday I downloaded OpenSuse and installed that.  The 
> next problem was to try to use R with Linux.  And there I met the 
> wall.  I've understood that RPM's are somewhat like installing 
> programs on Windows, so that was downloaded and started with YAST.
> 
> And got some error messages about missing stuff.  The first reactions 
> is surprise -- there must be an error in the installation procedure. 
> I have never (well, almost) met an installation procedure on Windows 
> that did not include everything needed.  And the installation of R on 
> Windows was very smooth.  Then I discover to my big surprise that the 
> readme file says that I need to have eight installed packages.  Then 
> it says "Most of them are included in a standard install".  Sigh. 
> Then the problem next is to find out which of the eight I already have 
> and which ones I need to locate somewhere.  Where can I find them I 
> wonder.  Somewhere on the net?  And that is how far I got today.
> 
> So, one of the complaints I have is that the instructions for 
> installing R on Linux are very cryptic, and to a large extent assume 
> that you already know Linux.  Which I do not.  And I expect 
> instructions on installing should be simple and clear.  But I am a 
> very experienced computer user, so I really expect to be able to 
> understand instructions.  I cannot expect my students to manage what I 
> cannot manage myself, so Linux is out, or at least Suse Linux.  And 
> that is a pity, for a number of reasons.
> 
> The second is just as much surprise at the installation procedure. 
> Under Windows there are any number of installers which make it easy 
> for a programmer to put together all the files needed and place them 
> in the right place.
> 
> And simeone should get the OpenSuse people to include R in the 
> installation.
> 
> Tom
> 
> +----------------------------------------------------------------+
> | Tom Backer Johnsen, Psychometrics Unit,  Faculty of Psychology |
> | University of Bergen, Christies gt. 12, N-5015 Bergen,  NORWAY |
> | Tel : +47-5558-9185                        Fax : +47-5558-9879 |
> | Email : backer at psych.uib.no    URL : http://www.galton.uib.no/ |
> +----------------------------------------------------------------+
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide! http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html

-- 
Csardi Gabor <csardi at rmki.kfki.hu>    MTA RMKI, ELTE TTK