[R-SIG-Mac] R.app intractable history problem

[vi]

I have seen this asked before and read the threads but cannot find a
clear answer to this problem.

I cannot manage to get the history to work from R.app. I am running R
version 2.9.0 on an iMac OSX 10.5.8 (Leopard). I've tried

1. Using default paths and names for startup (~) and history file
(.Rhistory). Run R.app by clicking on the dock, run a few commands. If
I save workspace, it writes ~/.Rhistory but that file is always blank.
Next session of R.app there is no history available of course. (If I
don't save workspace on exit, it does not write a ~/.Rhistory file at
all. Is this normal?)

2. Changing startup path but using the same name for history file (~/
xxx/yyy/.Rhistory). I read my problem could be that R writes to the
default location after R.app exits, so it could therefore be empty. I
change the path in the Preferences->Startup-> Initial working
directory (~/xxx/yyy/) and then the R history file in pref. to /Users/
myname/xxx/yyy/.Rhistory and hit return before clicking anywhere else.
It automatically changes it to ~/xxx/yyy/.Rhistory so it apparently
recognizes my change. Then I enter a few commands in R and quit.
Again, if I save workspace, it creates ~/xxx/yyy/.Rhistory but it's
always empty. If I don't save workspace, the specified history file is
not even created.

3. Changing startup path and trying to use a different name for
history file (~/xxx/yyy/.Rhistory_me).  I change the path in the
Preferences->Startup-> Initial working directory (~/xxx/yyy/) and then
the R history file in pref. to either /Users/myname/xxx/
yyy/.Rhistory_me or /Users/myname/xxx/yyy/me_Rhistory and hit return
before clicking anywhere else. Then I enter a few commands in R and
quit. I save workspace, it creates ~/xxx/yyy/.Rhistory (note it
ignores the file name I gave it) but it's always empty. If I go back
to preferences, the history file box shows ".Rhistory" regardless of
what name I told it to save it as.

4. d&d folder onto R.app icon, .Rhistory is written to that folder as
expected, but it remains empty no matter what.

Tried deleting preference file multiple times, no help. I cannot
manage to get anything into the .Rhistory file from R.app. R from
terminal seems okay in this regard.

So what is the way to make R.app actually save its history somewhere?
I don't want to use the history slide out button on the console and
have to save a file with each session, I'd like it to be automatic.
Thanks!
vi