[R] Linux configuration (Ubuntu)

[Frank E Harrell Jr]

Uwe Ligges wrote:
> Brian Edward wrote:
> 
>> Hello all,
>>
>> I have been a R user for about a year now, running on a MS Windows machine.
>> I am in the process of making a complete switch to open-source.  Linux is a
>> new world to me.  Ubuntu was my selection of the various distributions.
>> Please pardon this very basic question (I was unable to locate an answer on
>> R or Ubuntu).  I used Synaptic to download the necessary files to run.
>> However, I was unable to locate the program using the Add/Remove feature.
>> So, I created a Launcher for R on the desktop and identified the executable
>> file.  The path I entered into the Command Line was:  /usr/bin/R
>> I can run R in the Terminal, but not as a separate desktop location.  So,
>> the short question is, what is the specific command line or configuration I
>> should be using to run R?  Or, am I supposed to be running R in the
>> Terminal?
> 
> Short answer: yes, long answer, yes, unless you want to use some very 
> capable editor as an environment such ass Emacs + ESS. Look up the 
> documentation and the list archives fo details on Emacs and ESS.
> Uwe Ligges

The kate editor (a Linux KDE tool that also runs fine under Gnome) also 
works well with R.  Just set the editor option to use spaces instead of 
tab characters or the submission of code to an R session will not work 
properly.  I set a customized shortcut of Alt-r to submit code to kate's 
shell window at the bottom of the screen, after manually launching R in 
that window.

After R starts you can manage help files nicely using help.start() to 
use a browser.  I often use dillo, the world's fastest graphical 
browser, by specifying options(browser='dillo') before help.start().

Frank

> 
> 
> 
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Brian


-- 
Frank E Harrell Jr   Professor and Chair           School of Medicine
                      Department of Biostatistics   Vanderbilt University