From edd@debian.org  Fri Nov  8 15:57:23 2002
From: edd@debian.org (Dirk Eddelbuettel)
Date: Fri, 08 Nov 2002 09:57:23 -0600
Subject: (PR#2275) Re: Bug#168259: r-base-core: help.start() assumes netscape is installed
Message-ID: <E18ABVb-0001Ko-00@sonny.eddelbuettel.com>



> Note that this only a problem for pre-compiled versions of R used on
> machines other than the one on which it was compiled. For those compiling
> from source, the configure script selects a browser.  So almost all the
> analysis is based on incorrect assumptions.
> 
> What you seem to want is run-time rather than compile-time automated
> selection.

Thanks for setting me straight.  This will help in fixing it, then!

> On Fri, 8 Nov 2002 edd@debian.org wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> > > Package: r-base-core
> > > Version: 1.5.1-0woody1
> > > Severity: minor
> > >
> > > I don't have Netscape on my system. Trying to follow the sample
> >
> > To best of my knowledge, this R feature dates from a time when
> > Netscape was essentially the only browser out there. It also had
> > a most useful feature: you could attach new request (resulting in
> > a new "frame" in X11 / window manager parlance) to a running Netscape
> > making startup for this request /much/ faster than starting a new
> > Netscape executable.
> 
> and netscape no longer allows multiple executables to run.

Right.

> > This feature lacks in other browsers which is why no one was able
> > to write a wrapper script around netscape, mozilla, galeon, konqueror,...
> > and pick whichever is found.
> >
> > > session in the R Intro fails with a less than helpful error message:
> >
> > Then this should be fixed in the R Intro -- maybe a line could be added
> > suggesting that the   browser="foo"   options may be needed to switch
> > away from netscape?
> 
> Nope, what's in R-intro works everywhere R was compiled from source.
> It's a Debian (etc) problem.

Ok, so please close the R bug report in that case. I will take care of the
Debian issue -- if it turns out that I can do something useful for the 
RedHat, SuSE, Mandrake, ... guys I will surely let them know.

Dirk

> > > Type `demo()' for some demos, `help()' for on-line help, or
> > > `help.start()' for a HTML browser interface to help.
> > > Type `q()' to quit R.
> > >
> > > > help.start()
> > > Making links in ~/.R ...
> > > If netscape is already running, it is *not* restarted, and you must
> > >     switch to its window.
> > > Otherwise, be patient ...
> > > > sh: netscape: command not found
> > >
> > >
> > > Could some heuristic be put in place to use whatever is installed
> > > rather than blindly hope Netscape will be there? I thought I even saw
> 
> Again, that's not what happens.
> 
> > This has been discussed on the R lists, but as I recall, no consensus
> > was reached for the reasons outlined above.
> >
> > > something about an /etc/alternatives mechanism for selecting a web
> > > browser but this does not seem to exist (yet?)
> >
> > Now you're switching from a generic R problem to a Debian specific
> > solution -- but yes I may be able to do that. However, what we would
> > really need is a wrapper like, say, sensible-browser akin to the
> > existing sensible-paper and sensible-editor.  Now, as I said above,
> > this will likely be difficult or impossible to do well, so nobody
> > did it.
> >
> > Also, /etc/alternatives is designed to switch between variants of the
> > same program: emacs as a choice between emacs20 and emacs21, netscape
> > as one between static motif and other linkage variants, ... whereas
> > sensible-$FOO is a wrapper around different programs doing $FOO.
> >
> > > Failing that, perhaps the program could check for the existence of
> > > Netscape before attempting to launch it, and display a suitable error
> > > message if it is not installed (hopefully with instructions for how to
> > > override).
> >
> > Yes, but that is tough to do portably on Unix, Max, Win, ... where R
> > runs.
> >
> > > I was lucky enough to fairly quickly find an example of how to work
> > > around this in Google; for the record, help.start(browser='mozilla')
> > > worked for me, and apparently R will now remember to use Mozilla in
> > > the future on my account.
> >
> > Only for the running session. Set
> >   options(browser="mozilla")
> > in ~/.Rprofile to make it truly permanent.
> >
> > > Sorry if this is already fixed in testing/unstable.
> >
> > No, I'd call it one of the "unfixable" ones.
> >
> > Regards,  Dirk
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> > > /* era */
> > >
> > > --
> > > Join the civilized world -- ban spam like we did! <http://www.euro.cauce.org/>
> > >    tee -a $HOME/.signature <$HOME/.plan >http://www.iki.fi/era/index.html
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > According to the latest figures, 43% of all signatures are totally worthless.
> >
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> > r-devel mailing list -- Read http://www.ci.tuwien.ac.at/~hornik/R/R-FAQ.html
> > Send "info", "help", or "[un]subscribe"
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> >
> 
> -- 
> Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley@stats.ox.ac.uk
> Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
> University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
> 1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272860 (secr)
> Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595
> 
> 
> 
> 

-- 
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(PR#2275) Re: Bug#168259: r-base-core: help.start() assumes netscape is installed
Dirk Eddelbuettel