[R] installing R on Ubuntu

[Saeed Abu Nimeh]

Strange. All I had to do is sudo apt-get install r-base and R is
running without problems.

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=9.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=jaunty
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 9.04"

R version 2.8.1 (2008-12-22)


On Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 12:35 PM, Kevin Wright <kw.stat at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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  The Ubuntu repository is out-of-date, so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/
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> +----------------------------------------------------------------+
>> | 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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