[R-SIG-Mac] Why there are two R.app & R64.app?

[Federico Calboli]

On 15 Dec 2011, at 11:38, Adam Strzelecki wrote:
> 
> You're looking on it from developer's perspective. But regular user that want to make few plots via R do not necessarily know what is 64-bit at all. That's why on Mac there's a convention to use FAT binaries and default to 64-bit unless you specify otherwise (like via Finder properties for an app) or there's no capable CPU. All this are for sake of consistency and single experience for all apps.

I'd like to chime in. I *am* a regular user. I *do want* to know whether I am using R in 32 or 64-bit mode. I *am* using R, which means that I am *not* Joe random, but a sample of one from a nonrandom selfselected population of people who use a modestly user unfriendly statistical alnguage, either for data analysis or for writing their own code. So, considering R users as the average Mac users is a *wrong* assumption.

> Just to be clear, I do agree with you in general, that R user should be able to choose between 32-bit and 64-bit version, but this can be done without breaking the OSX conventions, via Finder.

I damn well do already, clicking on 'R64' rather than 'R', which is the 32-bit R.app. You seem to have a personal beef with the fact that the R GUI does not behave the way *you* think it should. I do have a beef with the quality of the icon of the R.app, so I did make a higher resolution for myself and sent a copy to Simon in case he chooses to use the damn thing. If Simon does not use the hi res icon, I can change the icon of the R.app every time, at infinitum, and live with it.

If you are not happy with the R/R64 situation, write your own GUI and use it. There are other R GUIs for OSX already ("R commander"?, something like that). I'd much rather be able to change the default font permanently in the R.app that get bothered by the 32/64-bit issue.

Just a though.

F


--
Federico C. F. Calboli
Neuroepidemiology and Ageing Research
Imperial College, St. Mary's Campus
Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG

Tel +44 (0)20 75941602   Fax +44 (0)20 75943193

f.calboli [.a.t] imperial.ac.uk
f.calboli [.a.t] gmail.com