[R-sig-Geo] Linux or OS X on Macbook Pro Retina?

[Roger Bivand]

On Wed, 19 Jun 2013, Rainer M Krug wrote:

>
> Barry Rowlingson <b.rowlingson at lancaster.ac.uk> writes:
>
>> On Wed, Jun 19, 2013 at 9:13 AM, Rainer M Krug <Rainer at krugs.de> wrote:
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> I finally received my new computer - a Mac Powerbook Retina.
>
> Sorry - Macbook Pro Retina
>
>>>
>>> I am a Linux / Ubuntu user, but I am thinking about possibly using OS
>>> X. How does OS X play with these spatial applicatios, mainly R (and
>>> associated packages), gdal, proj4, GRASS? Are there problems /
>>> complications with using spgrass6 under OS X?
>>>
>>> Any experiences, things to be wary about?
>>
>>  Go back about two messages on this mailing list and I asked a similar
>> question, only without a Mac to play on!
>
> True - I have seen that one. But apart from these, I am looking for some
> more insight from actual users of OS X.

Although I'm not an actual user, I think that it will be important to 
install GRASS and its dependencies first, then the R packages using those 
components (rgdal, rgeos, etc) from source, linking dynamically to the 
underlying dylibs, as one would typically do on Linux. One reason for this 
is to maintain consistency in the PROJ and GDAL metadata (things like 
EPSG), which differ for different versions of say PROJ. Both GRASS and R 
developers often use OSX as Unix, but they expect to build more components 
from source where sensible.

Roger

>
>>
>>  Roger's answer is that for most people you can just do
>> install.packages and get binary versions of those packages with static
>> linking so all dependencies are resolved and there's no need to go
>> hunting for source code and development packages.
>
> That is most definitely very useful.
>
>>
>>  If you can try that and it all works, please let me know - I'm trying
>> to write some instructions for new users for a workshop, and I guess
>> it will be 60% windows, 35% mac, 5% linux...
>
> OK - I will see.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rainer
>
>>
>> Barry
>
>
>

-- 
Roger Bivand
Department of Economics, NHH Norwegian School of Economics,
Helleveien 30, N-5045 Bergen, Norway.
voice: +47 55 95 93 55; fax +47 55 95 95 43
e-mail: Roger.Bivand at nhh.no