[R-SIG-Mac] R.app GUI crashes on startup -- moved Rhistory, no Rdata, no crash menu

[Michael C Gilbert]

>> As my first post on this list, I'll try to be complete but succinct.
>> 
>> This is the symptom described in the R for Max OSX FAQ 12.16: "R.app GUI crashes on startup" This started for me on Version 2.13, running on Mac OS 10.6.7. (I had been away from R for a few months, so I can't ID a single trigger.) I followed the instructions in FAQ 12.16. Moved the history file. There was no Rdata workspace to move (not that I could find).
> 
> It is .RData (note the dot!) and it is a hidden file. You can move it aside with this (in Terminal):
> mv ~/.RData ~/myOldData.RData

Sorry, I didn't make that clear in my haste. I know this. There is no .Rdata file in my home directory.


> Also note that the history file is configurable so it could be .Rapp.history or .Rhistory - so make sure you checked both (ever since the configurability this issue is in fact rare).

The .Rhistory file was there. But following the instructions in 12.16, I moved it.


>> No problem running R on the command line at all. I upgraded to 2.14, to see if it would persist. Same thing, suggesting an environment issue. But I don't know what it is about my environment I should troubleshoot. I cannot get a crash log using the instructions in 12.16, because no crash menu appears. All I get is this in the system log:
>> 
>> Jun 16 12:24:48 mcgLaptop-5 com.apple.launchd.peruser.502[285] ([0x0-0x1c71c7].org.R-project.R[19629]): Exited with exit code: 2
>> 
>> I apologize if this report is in some way incomplete. Any advice on how to proceed?
>> 
> 
> It is almost entirely incomplete because you don't say what actually happens. We ask you to, please, report exact facts, not your interpretation thereof. If there was a crash, please send the crash report. If there was an error, please send the exact error.

Here is the only thing I left out, to the best of my judgment: The R.app UI pops up for just a moment. No interactive time at all. Then it's gone. (I assumed that this was what was being described in 12.16, but you're correct: I should not assume.) No crash menu presents itself. The record I have of the event is the one I copied above from my system log. Otherwise, I believe I have included the available details. Unless there is a way to trigger a crash report without the menu appearing.

— Michael