R devel - May 2010 - R for Windows FAQ: Minor comment on "32- and 64-bit" installation paths

In 'R for Windows FAQ' for R version 2.11.0 Patched (2010-05-11
r51982) you can read:

[2.29] Can both 32- and 64-bit R be installed on the same machine?

Obviously, only relevant if the machine is running a 64-bit version of Windows.

Yes, with a little care. For R 2.11.x they should be installed into
different directories: the installer will suggest that the 64-bit
build is installed into, say, R-2.11.0-x64 and Administrator installs
will default to different paths (e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\R for
32-bit, C:\Program Files\R for 64-bit). The Start Menu, desktop and
quick launch icons will be named differently, and the versions can be
uninstalled independently.

Aren't those paths vice versa?

32-bit: C:\Program Files\R
64-bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\R

(I've noticed that this paragraph is not in R v2.12.0 dev).

/Henrik

On 13.05.2010 09:29, Henrik Bengtsson wrote:
> In 'R for Windows FAQ' for R version 2.11.0 Patched (2010-05-11
> r51982) you can read:
>
> [2.29] Can both 32- and 64-bit R be installed on the same machine?
>
> Obviously, only relevant if the machine is running a 64-bit version of
Windows.
>
> Yes, with a little care. For R 2.11.x they should be installed into
> different directories: the installer will suggest that the 64-bit
> build is installed into, say, R-2.11.0-x64 and Administrator installs
> will default to different paths (e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\R for
> 32-bit, C:\Program Files\R for 64-bit). The Start Menu, desktop and
> quick launch icons will be named differently, and the versions can be
> uninstalled independently.
>
> Aren't those paths vice versa?
>
> 32-bit: C:\Program Files\R
> 64-bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\R
No: This is MS decision and it is consequent: Under 64-bit Windows, the 
default is to use 64-bit Applications (hence in "Program Files") and 
32-bit applications go into "Program Files (x86)". x86 for the old 
32-bit x86 architecture.

>
> (I've noticed that this paragraph is not in R v2.12.0 dev).

Right, since it is planned to release R-2.12.0 as a bi-arch 
distribution, i.e. just one installer that contains both 32-bit and 
64-bit binaries and will (if you select to install both) install the 
binaries in subdirectories of bin/ lib/ etc.

But this is still heavily under development and the CRAN checks are not 
yet complete.

Uwe Ligges


> /Henrik
>
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