problem with tilde expansion in install.packages

In R 1.9.0 on Solaris/Sparc when I run, for example, 
install.packages("gregmisc", "~/R-local/lib"), instead of installing 
the `gregmisc' package in the directory 
/users/student/rpeng/R-local/lib the package gets installed in 
/users/student/rpeng/\~/R-local/lib, so the directory \~ is created in 
my home directory.  This doesn't happen to me on Linux or Windows so I 
thought it might not be an R problem.

I realize I'm referring to an older version of R but I was wondering 
if anyone had seen this happen (perhaps on 1.9.1) or how I might 
better pinpoint the problem.

 > version

          _
platform sparc-sun-solaris2.8
arch     sparc
os       solaris2.8
system   sparc, solaris2.8
status
major    1
minor    9.0
year     2004
month    04
day      12
language R

If it matters, I'm using tcsh (in /bin/tcsh).

-roger

Do you have readline working on that version of R?  If so, it is readline 
problem.  If not, do you have HOME set? - if not, try setting it.

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004, Roger D. Peng wrote:

In R 1.9.0 on Solaris/Sparc when I run, for example, 
install.packages("gregmisc", "~/R-local/lib"), instead of installing 
the `gregmisc' package in the directory 
/users/student/rpeng/R-local/lib the package gets installed in 
/users/student/rpeng/\~/R-local/lib, so the directory \~ is created in 
my home directory.  This doesn't happen to me on Linux or Windows so I 
thought it might not be an R problem.

I realize I'm referring to an older version of R but I was wondering 
if anyone had seen this happen (perhaps on 1.9.1) or how I might 
better pinpoint the problem.

version

         _
platform sparc-sun-solaris2.8
arch     sparc
os       solaris2.8
system   sparc, solaris2.8
status
major    1
minor    9.0
year     2004
month    04
day      12
language R

If it matters, I'm using tcsh (in /bin/tcsh).

-roger

I didn't compile this version of R myself but I believe readline is
compiled in -- the command history works and:

 > capabilities("cledit")

cledit
   TRUE

Also,

 > Sys.getenv("HOME")

                   HOME
"/users/student/rpeng"

which is in fact my home directory.

Prof Brian Ripley wrote:

Do you have readline working on that version of R?  If so, it is
readline problem.  If not, do you have HOME set? - if not, try
setting it.
On Wed, 23 Jun 2004, Roger D. Peng wrote:

In R 1.9.0 on Solaris/Sparc when I run, for example,
install.packages("gregmisc", "~/R-local/lib"), instead of
installing the `gregmisc' package in the directory
/users/student/rpeng/R-local/lib the package gets installed in
/users/student/rpeng/\~/R-local/lib, so the directory \~ is created
in my home directory.  This doesn't happen to me on Linux or
Windows so I thought it might not be an R problem.

I realize I'm referring to an older version of R but I was
wondering if anyone had seen this happen (perhaps on 1.9.1) or how
I might better pinpoint the problem.

version

         _
platform sparc-sun-solaris2.8
arch     sparc
os       solaris2.8
system   sparc, solaris2.8
status
major    1
minor    9.0
year     2004
month    04
day      12
language R

If it matters, I'm using tcsh (in /bin/tcsh).

-roger

-- 
Roger D. Peng
http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/~rpeng/

"Roger D. Peng" <rpeng@jhsph.edu> writes:

I didn't compile this version of R myself but I believe readline is
compiled in -- the command history works and:

capabilities("cledit")

cledit
  TRUE

Also,

Sys.getenv("HOME")

                  HOME
"/users/student/rpeng"

which is in fact my home directory.

I think sufficiently braindead versions of sh just will do this to you,
including the one that comes default on Solaris 9:

rasch:~/>/usr/bin/sh
$ ls ~
~: No such file or directory

This applies also to system() processing, e.g. 

system("mkdir -p ~/xxx") 

gets you a directory "~" with subdir "xxx". (NB: If you try this,
think VERY carefully about how to remove that dir!!!!)