installing R on Ubuntu

Having just spent several hours installing R on ubuntu, I have to say, "Yes,
it really can be that complex". ?The Ubuntu repository is out-of-date, so
add another one. ?While the README file at CRAN is helpful, one has to
wonder why it tells you to install R before you have added the security
keys. ?Strange. ?Then, you have to specify the path into the CRAN repository
exactly right, and it is not perfectly clear if "CRAN" is part of the path,
since the different repositories use different paths. ?Also did you know
that the slash at the end of "deb http:...... ?jaunty/" is necessary? ?Don't
you love "magic characters" and "white-space formatted" configuration files
that UNIX is so famous for? ?(Can't tell you how many times spaces have
screwed up makefiles for me in the past.) ? Need to tweak R? ?On Windows ALL
the files are in c:/Program Files/R, but Ubuntu scatters them all over the
file system. ?Seems like this operating system was designed in 1970. ?Oh,
wait... ?We'll probably be cursed with this directory structure until the
end of time, along with the mymatrix[ , , drop=TRUE] design of S/R.

Well, now that I have most of the mistakes that one can make, next time the
install process will most likely be easier, but nowhere near as easy as one
click on the Windows installer on CRAN.

Kevin (longtime Windows & UNIX user)


On Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 1:36 PM, Tom Backer Johnsen <backer at psych.uib.no>wrote:

Dear me. ?Is the installation of R under Ubuntu really that complex? ?I
have a dual boot machine (Linux / Windows, where I use the latter the most)
and have plans to try R under Linux, but have not done so yet. ?Is it
possible to simplify the Linux install procedure to make R more accessible
to novices?

Compare that to Windows. ?(1) Download installation program (2) Run
installation program. ?That is it.

Tom


Paul Heinrich Dietrich wrote:

I've read some of R's literature on Linux, including the R Admin manual,
and
didn't find it very useful, which is probably my own limitation. ?But I
did
finally manage to get it working well. ?I'm posting this to help others.
The following worked when installing R 2.8.1 on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron.
Here are truly step-by-step instructions for those who don't know Linux
(like me):

Installation and Initial Set-Up of R for Ubuntu Linux

1. Open the Bash terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal)
2. Type these lines to add the security key to access the latest version
of
the R Ubuntu package:
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv-key
E2A11821
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ gpg -a --export E2A11821 | sudo apt-key add -
3. Use the Bash terminal to open your sources.list file with gedit (text
editor) for editing:
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
4. Add this line to the bottom of the sources.list file:
? ? ? ?deb http://rh-mirror.linux.iastate.edu/CRAN/bin/linux/ubuntuhardy/
5. Save the file and go back to the Bash terminal.
6. Type this to update apt-get's database before you install R:
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ sudo apt-get update
7. Install R with this command:
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ sudo apt-get install r-base
8. Go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager, and download
the build-essential package.
9. To use R, simply enter R in the Bash terminal. ?To quit, enter q().


Additional programs will be needed to install other packages or work with
other programs:
1. Install compilers for C++ and Fortran
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ sudo apt-get install g++ gfortran
2. Install the developer versions of Blas and Lapack (what are these?)
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ apt-get install libblas-dev liblapack-dev


Updating Packages in R
1. Open the Bash terminal and start R with root permissions
? ? ? ?user at computer:~$ sudo R
2. Type > update.packages()


Installing the R Commander GUI
1. Open the Bash terminal and type:
? ? ? user at computer:~$ apt-get install r-cran-rcmdr

Using the R Commander GUI
library(Rcmdr)
...or once the library is open and Commander has been shut down, type:
commander()


Notes
It looks like most of R has been put here:
/etc/R (Rprofile.site is here)
/usr/lib/R


Downloaded Packages seem to go here:
/usr/local/lib/R/site-library/

--
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| Tom Backer Johnsen, Psychometrics Unit, ?Faculty of Psychology |
| University of Bergen, Christies gt. 12, N-5015 Bergen, ?NORWAY |
| Tel : +47-5558-9185 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Fax : +47-5558-9879 |
| Email : backer at psych.uib.no ? ?URL : http://www.galton.uib.no/ |
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