[Rd] Re: [R-SIG-Mac] R version on gifi

[Alex Buerkle]

I think it is great that a native graphics device is being built for R. 
  This will make it useable for a larger number of users.

However, I want to echo Don MacQueen's statement that there are users 
out there who want to continue to use R with an X11 graphics device on 
OS X.  I would like to see the build process continue to have that as a 
clean and easy option.  I think it might be even be worthwhile to 
distribute binaries that support both RAqua and X11 devices.

It is perhaps somewhat off-topic, but I don't think fink has lost its 
usefulness.  Fink will not be used by the majority of users of R on OS 
X.  However, for me, and I suspect many others, the package management 
is very useful and makes it easy to have access to many tools (window 
managers for X [with multiple desktops!], xfig, tetex, gv, emacs [I 
know a there's a dev version that is native], etc).  Obtaining all 
these different softwares from various porters' websites, and without a 
unified package management scheme, seems much less desirable than the 
use of fink.  I would welcome insights and suggestions that would show 
me another, easier way, but I think it is premature to dismiss fink.

Regards, Alex

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
C. Alex Buerkle                 Ph:  715-836-3383
Phillips Hall 330               Fax: 715-836-5089
Department of Biology
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
http://www.uwec.edu/buerkla      buerkla at uwec.edu