R help - Mar 1999 - ESS/rterm problem

I really don't think this is an R bug; sorry if I've got it wrong twice
within a week.

Using rw0632 on NT 4.0, I can get R running quite happily under ESS
5.1.3. However, whenever I use help(), although I do get the required
help in a split screen, I also get the minibuffer error message:

wrong argument type: processp, nil

Note: I get this under ESS 5.0 as well. I could live with this, but if I
attempt to call help through the menus, or to iESS edit anything, the
whole thing hangs with

Forming completions for Autoloads ...

I've waited up to 15min which I think is long enough to be sure it won't
work. However, ESS 5.0 can cope.

My own fault for updating to a beta of ESS? Anyone else have this
problem?

Simon Fear

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>>>>> "SF" == Simon Fear <fears at
roycastle.liv.ac.uk> writes:
    SF> I really don't think this is an R bug; sorry if I've got it
    SF> wrong twice within a week.

This is an ESS bug :-(.  Please report to the appropriate people (like
me, or preferably, ess-bugs at stat.math.ethz.ch or
ess-help at stat.math.ethz.ch).

    SF> Using rw0632 on NT 4.0, I can get R running quite happily
    SF> under ESS 5.1.3. However, whenever I use help(), although I do
    SF> get the required help in a split screen, I also get the
    SF> minibuffer error message:

    SF> wrong argument type: processp, nil

Help, under both Unix and NT, is a bit alpha right now, as I'm
incorporating a few changes to improve Stata support, as well as to
clean up the code (which there, is a bit of a maintenance problem).

    SF> My own fault for updating to a beta of ESS? Anyone else have
    SF> this problem?

I would consider the 5.1.x series alpha, especially with respect to NT
(and I'm the current lead developer, when time permits).  5.1.x do
more, and hence are more broken.  5.0 does less, and is less broken
(but must be configured).

I've still not gotten R running on my Microsoft box, so can't verify
(probably not until Apr 1 or so, I'll be out traveling for the next
2+ weeks).

I'm slightly suprised that you got a hang under 5.1.3 that you didn't
under 5.0.  I'll have to look in to it.

best,
-tony

-- 
A.J. Rossini
UW Biostatistics & Center for AIDS Research 
206-543-1044 / 206-720-4282                 
rossini at biostat.washington.edu              
http://www.biostat.washington.edu/~rossini/ 
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Are you using the M-x R from essd-r32.el?  To do so requires an explicit
M-x load-library RET essd-r32 RET

help works correctly with that version of M-x R.

Rich
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