unrelated software install triggering an error from R's install script on Mac OS X 10.5
I guess that we this comparing apples with oranges here: a default R install is leaving binaries in the path when performing a default install, which does not seem to be the case here (therefore forcing a hunt for the executable for the R console and resulting in the present thread).
Well, the assumption seems to be that end users who just run an installer without reading the associated documentation won't be interested in a command-line version and will just start the R GUI that shows up in their /Applications folder ...
The point seems to be slightly missed here: the result of installing R is that there is no R executable in the path, and that adding the only bin/ directory coming with the install to be path results in a broken system.
... and that people who add directories to their PATH tend to read instructions carefully. The download page for the Mac OS X binaries says:
You may also want to read the R FAQ and R for Mac OS X FAQ.
and in the Mac OS X FAQ you'll easily find the necessary instructions for using the command-line version:
3 Command line version of R The command line version of R is identical to R as used on other unix operating systems. Therefore general documentation forR applies to this version as well. On each release (and patched-release) ready to use binaries are distributed through CRAN. These binaries come with a common installer used by R.app so please read the related notes (see How to get R.app). To use Ryou probably need to add a symbolic link on your system as the R binary is located inside the framework. Suppose you have the/usr/local/bin directory on your system (if you do not have one, you can use /usr/bin instead) you should just type in your Terminal (a root password is required) sudo ln -s /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/R /usr/local/ bin/R Assuming that you have /usr/local/bin in your PATH environment variable, you will be able to launch R from any location on your system just by typing R. In this way, when you install a new version of the R.framework this link will point to the latest R binary.
I suppose that with "doing things the Unix way" you've probably been referring to the package managers / installers that most Linux distributions use and which do indeed make their installed programs available from the command line. Best regards, Stefan Evert [ stefan.evert at uos.de | http://purl.org/stefan.evert ]