[R] Linux editor for R+LaTeX, but not Emacs

Dirk Eddelbuettel edd at debian.org
Sat Oct 6 20:42:23 CEST 2007


On 6 October 2007 at 11:01, Scionforbai wrote:
| > What features are you missing in emacs that you wish were there?  Are
| > these ESS features or LaTeX related features?
| 
| is it only me or has anyone else the problem that running an R process
| within emacs is way much slower than in a regular terminal/console?
| (linux here)

It's just you, and if you think some more about it, you'll see why we are all
grinning.  [ Hint: it can't be slower, outside of ridiculous corner sitations
where there isn't enough ram for Emacs and R at the same time. Or foobared
setups.  In all normal situations, it'll be the same. ]

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So here from the console:

> system.time(replicate(100, svd(matrix(rnorm(100*100), ncol=100))))
   user  system elapsed
  2.792   0.048   2.842

and cut&pasted from ESS

> system.time(replicate(100, svd(matrix(rnorm(100*100), ncol=100))))
   user  system elapsed 
  2.736   0.048   2.787 
> 

(Heaven's, ESS is even faster :)

Output to the console, ie the Emacs buffer, may appear slower, or be
slower. I don't care. I try not to print that many line. But then you get
goodies like C-c C-o to 'eat up' output you didn't mean to flood the console
with.  

Seriously, outside of spreading R on sliced bread, there is no better way to
use it than with ESS.

Dirk

-- 
Three out of two people have difficulties with fractions.



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