Paulo Barata
2022-May-13 19:44 UTC
[Rd] Writing in R // R 4.2.0 on Windows doesn't work with Dasher
To the R developers, I would like to point out an issue that occurs with the new R 4.2.0 running on Windows; this is possibly related to the recent wide changes made to the Windows port of R. The issue has to do with writing of the R window. My computer runs on Windows 10 Professional 64-bit with all the latest updates, and has a 4-core 8-thread Intel Xeon processor with 32 Gb of RAM. I have some slight impairment in my hands, so for typing I avoid using the computer keyboard as much as possible. For most of my typing, I use the software Dasher, a kind of assistive technology software. Dasher was created by the Inference Group led by Professor David MacKay (died in 2016) at Cambridge University in England. Later, Dasher was further developed by Ada Majorek (a Google engineer, recently deceased). General information on Dasher and about the Dasher Project can be found on the Inference Group page: http://www.inference.org.uk/dasher/ An example of Dasher in action can be seen on this 2-minute YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr3s4613DX8 An one-hour YouTube video of a 2007 Google Talk by Professor MacKay himself explaining the Dasher concept can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpOxbesRNBc In the 2-minute video (the first YouTube address above), the sentence written through Dasher, for actual use, needs to be copied and then pasted into another software, say a text editor. But Dasher also has a "Direct Entry" mode, where words typed are entered directly on the screen of the text editor or other software -- this is how I use Dasher to write on the R window. Using Dasher`s "Direct Entry" mode, for all effects, to write a word through Dasher works exactly like writing the word through the normal computer keyboard. Somehow (I do not know about system programming), in "Direct Entry" mode, the output of Dasher is understood by the computer as an input of the same nature as a keyboard input. But this is the issue: until R 4.1.3, R accepted normally the word-typing through Dasher. But R 4.2.0 (and R 4.2.0-patched build r82348, 12 May 2022) does not accept Dasher anymore. So, for now, if I wish to use R during some extended interactive section (say, for a first look at a complex data set), and if I wish to use Dasher for this interactive session, then I have to use R 4.1.3. For using R through programming, I can use the new R 4.2.0, by writing the program with Dasher in my text editor, and then pasting that program into R. The latest Windows version of Dasher, version 5.0.0 beta, works perfectly well with text editors (I use EditPad Pro), with Microsoft-like Office packages (I use SoftMaker Office), for writing e-mails (I use Mozilla Thunderbird), for writing on a web page (I use mostly Mozilla Firefox). It worked perfectly well with R up to version 4.1.3, but it does not work with R 4.2.0 The latest Dasher 5.0.0 beta Windows installer and the source code can be found on this page below (please click on "Windows installer" and on "source code", just below the head "Dasher 5.0 beta release"): https://github.com/dasher-project/dasher/releases To set Dasher 5.0.0 beta to the "Direct Entry" mode, after installing Dasher one should go to Preferences > Application > Application Style. Currently, after the passing of Ada Majorek, the Dasher Project is being put forward by a group of people in England, but, it seems, at a very slow pace. They have announced the existence of a version 6 beta, but this is only an online instance of Dasher, there is no Windows installer, as far as I know. Their web page: https://dasher.acecentre.net/ For me, and possibly for other users, the Dasher version 5.0.0 beta for Windows that is available works perfectly well, and allows me to use the computer with a proficiency that would be hardly possible otherwise. Here I request that the R developers take a look at this word-typing issue that happens with the new R 4.2.0 on Windows. As an R user (I work in ecological research), I can only thank the R team for this really wonderful piece of statistical software that you make freely available to us all. Regards, Paulo Barata (Rio de Janeiro - Brazil)
Paulo Barata
2022-May-15 14:10 UTC
[Rd] Writing in R // R 4.2.0 on Windows doesn't work with Dasher
To the R developers, I noticed today that R 4.2.0 responds to the "Enter" character of Dasher version 5.0.0 beta in "Direct Entry" mode. An "Enter" in Dasher causes the R prompt to jump to the next line, as an "Enter" should do. No other characters (letters, digits, special characters like + = & ~ | # $) are accepted by R 4.2.0 through Dasher. The "Enter" shows that, somehow, the communication between Dasher and R 4.2.0 through the Windows system is not completely curtailed. Regards, Paulo Barata ---------------------------------------------------------- On 13/05/2022 16:44, Paulo Barata wrote:> To the R developers, > > I would like to point out an issue that occurs with the new R 4.2.0 > running on Windows; this is possibly related to the recent wide changes > made to the Windows port of R. The issue has to do with writing of the R > window. > > My computer runs on Windows 10 Professional 64-bit with all the latest > updates, and has a 4-core 8-thread Intel Xeon processor with 32 Gb of RAM. > > I have some slight impairment in my hands, so for typing I avoid using > the computer keyboard as much as possible. For most of my typing, I use > the software Dasher, a kind of assistive technology software. Dasher was > created by the Inference Group led by Professor David MacKay (died in > 2016) at Cambridge University in England. Later, Dasher was further > developed by Ada Majorek (a Google engineer, recently deceased). > > General information on Dasher and about the Dasher Project can be found > on the Inference Group page: > > http://www.inference.org.uk/dasher/ > > An example of Dasher in action can be seen on this 2-minute YouTube video: > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr3s4613DX8 > > An one-hour YouTube video of a 2007 Google Talk by Professor MacKay > himself explaining the Dasher concept can be found here: > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpOxbesRNBc > > In the 2-minute video (the first YouTube address above), the sentence > written through Dasher, for actual use, needs to be copied and then > pasted into another software, say a text editor. But Dasher also has a > "Direct Entry" mode, where words typed are entered directly on the > screen of the text editor or other software -- this is how I use Dasher > to write on the R window. > > Using Dasher`s "Direct Entry" mode, for all effects, to write a word > through Dasher works exactly like writing the word through the normal > computer keyboard. Somehow (I do not know about system programming), in > "Direct Entry" mode, the output of Dasher is understood by the computer > as an input of the same nature as a keyboard input. > > But this is the issue: until R 4.1.3, R accepted normally the > word-typing through Dasher. But R 4.2.0 (and R 4.2.0-patched build > r82348, 12 May 2022) does not accept Dasher anymore. > > So, for now, if I wish to use R during some extended interactive section > (say, for a first look at a complex data set), and if I wish to use > Dasher for this interactive session, then I have to use R 4.1.3. For > using R through programming, I can use the new R 4.2.0, by writing the > program with Dasher in my text editor, and then pasting that program > into R. > > The latest Windows version of Dasher, version 5.0.0 beta, works > perfectly well with text editors (I use EditPad Pro), with > Microsoft-like Office packages (I use SoftMaker Office), for writing > e-mails (I use Mozilla Thunderbird), for writing on a web page (I use > mostly Mozilla Firefox). It worked perfectly well with R up to version > 4.1.3, but it does not work with R 4.2.0 > > The latest Dasher 5.0.0 beta Windows installer and the source code can > be found on this page below (please click on "Windows installer" and on > "source code", just below the head "Dasher 5.0 beta release"): > > https://github.com/dasher-project/dasher/releases > > To set Dasher 5.0.0 beta to the "Direct Entry" mode, after installing > Dasher one should go to Preferences > Application > Application Style. > > Currently, after the passing of Ada Majorek, the Dasher Project is being > put forward by a group of people in England, but, it seems, at a very > slow pace. They have announced the existence of a version 6 beta, but > this is only an online instance of Dasher, there is no Windows > installer, as far as I know. Their web page: > > https://dasher.acecentre.net/ > > For me, and possibly for other users, the Dasher version 5.0.0 beta for > Windows that is available works perfectly well, and allows me to use the > computer with a proficiency that would be hardly possible otherwise. > > Here I request that the R developers take a look at this word-typing > issue that happens with the new R 4.2.0 on Windows. > > As an R user (I work in ecological research), I can only thank the R > team for this really wonderful piece of statistical software that you > make freely available to us all. > > Regards, > > Paulo Barata > > (Rio de Janeiro - Brazil) > > ______________________________________________ > R-devel at r-project.org mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel