[R-SIG-Mac]R on Darwin/X11

[Stefano Iacus]

Don,

the follow-focus can be implemented by some small utilities at system 
level. There was something similar even under old MacOS. So I don't 
think this is really something you can discouraged about in using and 
Aqua/Quartz R.

But be confident, the X11 version will not be abandoned in any case.


stefano

On Luned́, marzo 11, 2002, at 05:03 , Don MacQueen wrote:

> At 19:20 -0800 3/9/02, Jan de Leeuw wrote:
>> I will no longer maintain the Darwin/X11 version, since
>>
>> (a) You can get a better version from fink -- in particular
>> if you set up fink properly you will not have the missing dylib
>> problems.
>>
>> (b) I have agreed with Jeff Whitaker (fink R maintainer)
>> that he will put r-base, r-base-atlas, r-base-gnome, and 
>> r-base-atlas-gnome
>> in fink.
>>
>> (c) I have agreed with Stefano that we will get working on
>> an Aqua GUI for R and he will get working on a Quartz device.
>> This will mean Quartz/Aqua wrappers around the
>> Darwin/X11 version of R, best of both worlds.
>
> This is quite ambitious, and I'm generally supportive. I think there 
> are probably a lot of Mac users for whom this would make it more likely 
> they would use R.
>
> I do have one question. Would the ability to work in X11 mode go away?
>
> Here's why I ask. Standard practice in the Mac windowing environment 
> has always been that the window that receives keyboard input MUST be on 
> top. When I'm using R, I find this restriction extremely annoying and 
> counter-productive. I normally have the graphics window partially 
> covering the top right of my command input window. That way I can make 
> the graphics window larger. Many, if not most, X11 window managers have 
> an option to allow this (it goes by various names; "follow-focus" is 
> one, because focus follows the mouse). Please, please, please, if at 
> all possible, have the "Quartz/Aqua" wrapper allow follow-focus. In all 
> likelihood, "input window on top" is so ingrained in Apple's world-view 
> that it won't be possible, in which case my request is to allow 
> continued use in X11 mode.
>
> To put it briefly, given a choice between X11 mode allowing 
> follow-focus, and an Aqua mode that doesn't, this is a matter of 
> personal preference that I feel strongly about, and I would choose the 
> X11 mode.
>
>>
>> (d) I have agreed with Jeff that we will start putting R packages
>> into the fink system. He has already installed rpy, which
>> went without a glitch, and which now allows one to use
>> all of R from python.
>>
>> ===
>> Jan de Leeuw; Professor and Chair, UCLA Department of Statistics;
>> US mail: 9432 Boelter Hall, Box 951554, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1554
>> phone (310)-825-9550;  fax (310)-206-5658;  email: 
>> deleeuw@stat.ucla.edu
>> homepage: http://www.stat.ucla.edu/~deleeuw
>> ========================================================
>>           No matter where you go, there you are. --- Buckaroo Banzai
>>                    http://www.stat.ucla.edu/~deleeuw/sounds/nomatter.au
>> ========================================================
>
> Thanks
> -Don
>
> -- --------------------------------------
> Don MacQueen
> Environmental Protection Department
> Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
> Livermore, CA, USA
> --------------------------------------
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