building r packages for windows on a mac/linux

--- On Thu, 3/9/09, Vinh Nguyen <vinhdizzo at gmail.com> wrote:

hmmm....tried building R-2.8.0 on my
mac, didn't work.  i think it got
the very end before failing:
i386-mingw32-windres --preprocessor="i386-mingw32-gcc -E
-xc
-DRC_INVOKED" -I
/Users/vinh/Downloads/Rwin/R-2.8.0/include  -I 
-i
methods_res.rc -o methods_res.o
i386-mingw32-gcc  -std=gnu99  -shared -s  -o
methods.dll methods.def
class_support.o do_substitute_direct.o init.o
methods_list_dispatch.o
slot.o tests.o methods_res.o 
-L/Users/vinh/Downloads/Rwin/R-2.8.0/bin
   -lR
  ... DLL made
  installing DLL
  collecting R files
  preparing package methods for lazy loading
  dumping R code in package `methods'
cp:
/Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/library/methods/libs/methods.so:
No such file or directory
make[4]: ***
[/Users/vinh/Downloads/Rwin/R-2.8.0/library/methods/R/methods.rdb]
Error 1
make[3]: *** [all] Error 2
make[2]: *** [pkg-methods] Error 2
make[1]: *** [rpackage] Error 1
make: *** [all] Error 2

It is probably wiser to use the last of 2.8 (i.e. 2.8.1patched)

That seems to be buggy - anyhow, I said to build win32 R package you need to have the win32 R.dll, I don't mean you have to build it yourself. You can just take it out of the official win32 R installer.

if i go to bin/R.exe, my wine opens R fine.  so i
think this is OK.
my ultimate goal would be to build a package for
windows.  looking
through the admin file, i don't understand how i would do
this (even
if i didn't get that previous error).  could u kindly
point me in the
direction of how to do this?  make what?

The instruction for cross-compiling R packages is in a file called "README.packages" or some such under src/gnuwin32 . The file was removed in R 2.9.x (as the content is no longer supported).

BTW, you have not shown your affiliation nor the reason why you want to go this way - and I am reluctant to do one-on-one hand-holding on annonymity. So please keep the CC:, or arrange for commercial consultancy.