[R] quartz() on MAC OSX

[Rolf Turner]

I am (desperately) trying to get used to using a Mac here at my new
location. (Why *anyone* would ever use anything other than Linux, except
under duress as I am, totally escapes me, but that's another story.)

Fortunately much of the Mac OSX is actually Unix, so a civilized person can
manage to carry on ... But there are some things.  (Like this <expletive
deleted> mailer ... But that's another story.)

When I ``open'' R using the icon on the ``dock'' several things are
unsatisfactory; like I can't clear the screen using system("clear"), nor can
I use vi syntax in command line editing.  When I start R from the command
line (as a civilized person would do) these unsatisfactory circumstances go
away, but then a new one rears its ugly head:  I can't plot!!!  If I try a
plot without explicitly opening a plotting device, a postscript device with
file name ``Rplots.ps'' is silently opened.  If I try opening a device with
quartz() to get an on-screen plot, I get a warning message

quartz() device interactivity reduced without an event loop manager in:
quartz()

And a little coloured wheel spins round and round and the quartz() window
that opens hides underneath the terminal window and appears to be frozen to
the spot.

Apparently ``it'' wants .Platform$GUI to be equal to "AQUA", but it is
(under the circumstances) "X11".

Trying to open a device using x11() simply results in an error.

Is there any way to get a working on-screen graphics window under these
circumstances?

I am very much hand-cuffed by the officious ITS policies here as to what
I can install on my Mac.  (Effectively, nothing.)

                                ``cheers'' (Hah!),

                                        Rolf Turner
                                        r.turner at auckland.ac.nz


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