Having just spent several hours installing R on ubuntu, I have to say, "Yes,
it really can be that complex".  The Ubuntu repository is out-of-date, so
add another one.  While the README file at CRAN is helpful, one has to
wonder why it tells you to install R before you have added the security
keys.  Strange.  Then, you have to specify the path into the CRAN repository
exactly right, and it is not perfectly clear if "CRAN" is part of the path,
since the different repositories use different paths.  Also did you know
that the slash at the end of "deb http:......  jaunty/" is necessary?  Don't
you love "magic characters" and "white-space formatted" configuration files
that UNIX is so famous for?  (Can't tell you how many times spaces have
screwed up makefiles for me in the past.)   Need to tweak R?  On Windows ALL
the files are in c:/Program Files/R, but Ubuntu scatters them all over the
file system.  Seems like this operating system was designed in 1970.  Oh,
wait...  We'll probably be cursed with this directory structure until the
end of time, along with the mymatrix[ , , drop=TRUE] design of S/R.

Well, now that I have most of the mistakes that one can make, next time the
install process will most likely be easier, but nowhere near as easy as one
click on the Windows installer on CRAN.

Kevin (longtime Windows & UNIX user)


On Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 1:36 PM, Tom Backer Johnsen <backer@psych.uib.no>wrote:

> Dear me.  Is the installation of R under Ubuntu really that complex?  I
> have a dual boot machine (Linux / Windows, where I use the latter the most)
> and have plans to try R under Linux, but have not done so yet.  Is it
> possible to simplify the Linux install procedure to make R more accessible
> to novices?
>
> Compare that to Windows.  (1) Download installation program (2) Run
> installation program.  That is it.
>
> Tom
>
>
> Paul Heinrich Dietrich wrote:
>
>> I've read some of R's literature on Linux, including the R Admin manual,
>> and
>> didn't find it very useful, which is probably my own limitation.  But I
>> did
>> finally manage to get it working well.  I'm posting this to help others.
>> The following worked when installing R 2.8.1 on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron.
>> Here are truly step-by-step instructions for those who don't know Linux
>> (like me):
>>
>> Installation and Initial Set-Up of R for Ubuntu Linux
>>
>> 1. Open the Bash terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal)
>> 2. Type these lines to add the security key to access the latest version
>> of
>> the R Ubuntu package:
>>        user@computer:~$ gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv-key
>> E2A11821
>>        user@computer:~$ gpg -a --export E2A11821 | sudo apt-key add -
>> 3. Use the Bash terminal to open your sources.list file with gedit (text
>> editor) for editing:
>>        user@computer:~$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
>> 4. Add this line to the bottom of the sources.list file:
>>        deb http://rh-mirror.linux.iastate.edu/CRAN/bin/linux/ubuntuhardy/
>> 5. Save the file and go back to the Bash terminal.
>> 6. Type this to update apt-get's database before you install R:
>>        user@computer:~$ sudo apt-get update
>> 7. Install R with this command:
>>        user@computer:~$ sudo apt-get install r-base
>> 8. Go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager, and download
>> the build-essential package.
>> 9. To use R, simply enter R in the Bash terminal.  To quit, enter q().
>>
>>
>> Additional programs will be needed to install other packages or work with
>> other programs:
>> 1. Install compilers for C++ and Fortran
>>        user@computer:~$ sudo apt-get install g++ gfortran
>> 2. Install the developer versions of Blas and Lapack (what are these?)
>>        user@computer:~$ apt-get install libblas-dev liblapack-dev
>>
>>
>> Updating Packages in R
>> 1. Open the Bash terminal and start R with root permissions
>>        user@computer:~$ sudo R
>> 2. Type > update.packages()
>>
>>
>> Installing the R Commander GUI
>> 1. Open the Bash terminal and type:
>>       user@computer:~$ apt-get install r-cran-rcmdr
>>
>> Using the R Commander GUI
>> library(Rcmdr)
>> ...or once the library is open and Commander has been shut down, type:
>> commander()
>>
>>
>> Notes
>> It looks like most of R has been put here:
>> /etc/R (Rprofile.site is here)
>> /usr/lib/R
>>
>>
>> Downloaded Packages seem to go here:
>> /usr/local/lib/R/site-library/
>>
>
>
> --
> +----------------------------------------------------------------+
> | 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@psych.uib.no    URL : http://www.galton.uib.no/ |
> +----------------------------------------------------------------+

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]


