[R-sig-teaching] installing Rcmdr

Robert W. Hayden hayden at mv.mv.com
Sun Feb 15 18:30:13 CET 2009 

Forwarded message:
> From jfox at mcmaster.ca Sun Feb 15 17:08:45 2009 +0000

This (from John's web site)

"Linux/Unix systems typically have all of the software required for
building packages already installed. The easiest way to install the
Rcmdr package and its dependencies if you have an active Internet
connection is to run R as root and issue the command
install.packages("Rcmdr", dependencies=TRUE) at the R prompt."

is what I did.  After I got home (and after I posted my initial
question to this list) I found that I have one computer here with
Kubuntu installed -- and R.  So given that and the feedback I have
received from this list I have to conclude there was something odd
about the situation at my sister's.  Since I no longer have access to
that machine (it's a five-hour drive away) I cannot check or reproduce
anything.  Still the feedback has been useful -- it appears there is
no need to track down what was wrong on that aberrant machine;-)  
 
> I've updated the Rcmdr installation notes at
> <http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/jfox/Misc/Rcmdr/installation-notes.html> with
> specific instructions for Ubuntu.
> 
> Thanks,
>  John
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ista Zahn [mailto:istazahn at gmail.com]
> > Sent: February-15-09 11:03 AM
> > To: John Fox
> > Cc: G. Jay Kerns; bob at statland.org; R-sig-teaching
> > Subject: Re: [R-sig-teaching] installing Rcmdr
> > 
> > Hi John,
> > Yes, please feel free to use my suggestions in any way you wish, with
> > any modifications you want. The procedure is designed to be sufficient
> > rather than necessary, and you are correct that some of the steps can
> > be omitted.
> > 
> > -Ista
> > On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:01 AM, John Fox <jfox at mcmaster.ca> wrote:
> > > Dear Jay, Bob, Ista,
> > >
> > > I, too, have installed Rcmdr on Ubuntu systems several times with no
> > > problems. I suspect that r-base-dev wasn't installed and that Ista's
> > > procedure will produce the desired result.
> > >
> > > Ista: Do you mind if I add your procedure, slightly edited and with
> credit,
> > > to the Rcmdr installation page? Step 6, however, shouldn't be necessary
> > > after installing with dep=TRUE, nor, I think, should step 3, since
> there's
> > > only R code in the Rcmdr package.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >  John
> > >
> > >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> From: r-sig-teaching-bounces at r-project.org
> > > [mailto:r-sig-teaching-bounces at r-
> > >> project.org] On Behalf Of Ista Zahn
> > >> Sent: February-14-09 11:12 PM
> > >> To: bob at statland.org
> > >> Cc: R-sig-teaching
> > >> Subject: Re: [R-sig-teaching] installing Rcmdr
> > >>
> > >> I've found the version of R in the Ubuntu repository is almost always
> > >> out of date. Here is the process I follow:
> > >>
> > >> 1) Add the R repository (see
> http://cran.r-project.org/bin/linux/ubuntu/).
> > >> 2) Install R and the dev package: sudo apt-get install r-base
> r-base-dev
> > >> 3) Install any packages needed to build a particular package. In this
> > >> case something like sudo apt-get build-dep r-cran-rcmdr (I'm not on my
> > >> ubuntu machine at the moment so I'm not sure the package name is
> > >> correct).
> > >> 4) Start R from the command line as root so I can install packages
> > >> system-wide: sudo R
> > >> 5) From the R command prompt, install Rcmdr: >
> > >> install.packages("Rcmdr", dep=TRUE)
> > >> 6) Start Rcmdr and install additional packages when prompted.
> > >>
> > >> I've never had this procedure fail to produce a working installation.
> > >>
> > >> Hope it helps,
> > >> Ista
> > >
> > >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> From: r-sig-teaching-bounces at r-project.org
> > > [mailto:r-sig-teaching-bounces at r-
> > >> project.org] On Behalf Of G. Jay Kerns
> > >> Sent: February-14-09 9:55 PM
> > >> To: bob at statland.org
> > >> Cc: R-sig-teaching
> > >> Subject: Re: [R-sig-teaching] installing Rcmdr
> > >>
> > >> Dear Robert,
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 9:24 PM, Robert W. Hayden <hayden at mv.mv.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >> >
> > >> > Last weekend I visited my sister and her husband and installed R on
> > >> > their Ubuntu 8.04 machine and tried to add Rcmdr.  I had endless
> > >> > trouble most of which seemed to be because R (or Rcmdr) seemed to
> want
> > >> > a Fortran compiler (or a Fortran-to-C translator).  A smaller number
> > >> > of error mesages (out of many pages thereof) were removed by
> > >> > installing what appeared to be a library of Fortran linear algebra
> > >> > routines (lblas?).  Even then Rcmdr complained about missing packages
> > >> > when I ran it, and though it offered to install them, the
> installation
> > >> > failed in every case, with no useful error messages.
> > >> >
> > >> > I have installed R and Rcmdr many times before to Windows and various
> > >> > Linux distributions (it's on this Debian right now)  and never had so
> > >> > much trouble.  Did I do something wrong?  Is there a problem with R
> on
> > >> > Ubuntu?  I have programmed in Fortran so I don't mind adding a
> > >> > compiler and I've taught linear algebra so I don't mind adding linear
> > >> > algebra routines, but there is no way my students would ever figure
> > >> > out that was needed.  I also noted that Rcmdr had a MUCH longer list
> > >> > of dependencies than I remember.  All of this has me worried about
> > >> > using R in an introductory course for folks who are not computer
> > >> > science majors.
> > >> >
> > >> > Has anyone encountered a similar problem?  I used whatever version of
> > >> > R is in the Ubuntu repository.  I seem to remember 2.4 though that
> > >> > seems a bit old.
> > >> >
> > >> > ------->  First-time AP Stats. teacher?  Help is on the way! See
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >
> http://courses.ncssm.edu/math/Stat_Inst/Stats2007/Bob%20Hayden/Relief.html
> > >> >
> > >> >  Robert W. Hayden in the old library at  212 Main Street (P. O. Box
> 450)
> > >> >  North Troy, VT 05859  phone (802) 988-2587  web site
> > > http://statland.org/
> > >> >  email  bob statland.org  (add your own "@" and save me some spam)
> > >> >
> > >> > _______________________________________________
> > >> > R-sig-teaching at r-project.org mailing list
> > >> > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-sig-teaching
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> I am and have been using Rcmdr on Ubuntu 7.10, 8.04, and currently on
> > >> 8.10.  I used 32 bit Ubuntu for 7.10 and 8.04, but on 8.10 I am using
> > >> both 32 and 64 bit versions. For the record, I have had no problems
> > >> whatsoever installing Rcmdr.
> > >>
> > >> First thought (and you didn't mention): are you sure that you have the
> > >> r-base-dev Ubuntu package installed?  If you do not have that
> > >> installed, then you won't be able to build _anything_.
> > >>
> > >> If you already have r-base-dev....? it is good practice to install the
> > >> packages from the repository with Synaptic (which it sounds like is
> > >> what you did), since in those cases, dependencies are marked
> > >> automatically for installation most of the time.    Another thing that
> > >> you could try is to right-click on packages in Synaptic - it gives
> > >> other packages "suggested" for installation.  In some cases,
> > >> installing these extra packages helped me with installation problems
> > >> elsewhere, too.
> > >>
> > >> And you could consider contacting John Fox directly.  He's great about
> > >> responding quickly, thoughtfully, and accurately.
> > >>
> > >> Good luck.
> > >> Jay
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ***************************************************
> > >> G. Jay Kerns, Ph.D.
> > >> Associate Professor
> > >> Department of Mathematics & Statistics
> > >> Youngstown State University
> > >> Youngstown, OH 44555-0002 USA
> > >> Office: 1035 Cushwa Hall
> > >> Phone: (330) 941-3310 Office (voice mail)
> > >> -3302 Department
> > >> -3170 FAX
> > >> E-mail: gkerns at ysu.edu
> > >> http://www.cc.ysu.edu/~gjkerns/
> > >>
> > >> _______________________________________________
> > >> R-sig-teaching at r-project.org mailing list
> > >> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-sig-teaching
> > >
> > >
> > >
> 
> 
> 


------->  First-time AP Stats. teacher?  Help is on the way! See

 http://courses.ncssm.edu/math/Stat_Inst/Stats2007/Bob%20Hayden/Relief.html
	    
  Robert W. Hayden in the old library at  212 Main Street (P. O. Box 450)
  North Troy, VT 05859  phone (802) 988-2587  web site http://statland.org/      
  email  bob statland.org  (add your own "@" and save me some spam)

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