[R-SIG-Mac] New {macrtools} package to help setup compiled code environments on Intel and ARM-based macs

[Balamuta, James Joseph]

All,

Hope all is well.

About a month or so back, we revisited the **unofficial** macOS R compilation toolchain setup wizard with a focus on making it more maintainable without an Apple developer subscription. The result is the new {macrtools} R package. You can learn more about it here:

GitHub: https://github.com/coatless-mac/macrtools
Documentation: https://mac.thecoatlessprofessor.com/macrtools/
Video walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fckF0fefXQ

The package setups the required components for the macOS R compilation toolchain on both Intel-based and Arm-based macs with just the issuance in R of:

macrtools::macos_rtools_install()

This will attempt to install:

  *   Xcode CLI
  *   gfortran
  *   R Development binaries

We�re grateful for the early testing feedback from both Bob Rudis and Adam H Sparks related to ARM-based macs and Simon Urbanek�s help with unpacking binaries as well as the install user prompt best practices note. (Note: This is not an endorsement from Simon or CRAN. This is an **unofficial** project to support macOS users who are not familiar with command-line tools.)

We hope this improves the experience in setting up the compilation toolchain and lowers the barrier of entry for using packages like RStan and RcppArmadillo.

Best,
JJB
---
James J Balamuta, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Statistics
Office of the CIO � Innovation Scholar and Advisor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

"The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see."
~ John Tukey


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