[R-gui] Platform-independent GUI for R... again

A.J. Rossini wrote:

No, you can build it.  There are a number of variations on
the theme, ranging from using Emacs widgets (as David
mentioned), to using R/S-PLUS as the backend for a
spreadsheet within Emacs (old, old work), to using ESS to
instantiate tcl/tk GUIs, to whatever.

Just use your imagination ;-).

Is anybody actually working on some GUI implementations using Emacs-ESS,
besides your trials, David, and your suggestions, Tony?

I think it should be possible to make a mix between Emacs-ESS and its
numerous potentials, and my GUI API for R, together with a little bit of
tcltk. The priority would be to make Emacs-ESS more accessible and less
intimidating for beginners (by hiding less used functions, by adding more
toolbar buttons, by facilitating installation -John Fox's page about
installing Emacs-ESS under Windows goes in this direction-...), then to
implement something like an object explorer, a views display (in an Emacs
buffer?), and the equivalent of the "docking windows" in SciViews R Console
which displays menus/electronic reference cards/graph galeries/etc...

I would be happy to collaborate with anybody willing to do so, but for now,
I have too much work concentrating on the finalization of the R GUI API to
start this myself. As I said, I know really too little about Emacs to be
able to start such an entreprise alone.

But in all seriousness, it's not nearly as limiting as you
are imagining, and much more flexible than most of the
examples you've given.  There is always the problem of
coding, though...

Best,

Philippe