R help - May 2002 - help.start() problem with netscape 6.2.2 (was: R 1.5.0 RPM's for Mandrake)

I've installed Netscape 6.2.2 on Mdk82, but have not had much luck with
help.start() (R-1.5.0 compiled from source).

When I do help.start(), it just starts up netscape with the default home
page, rather than the R help page.  Doing ?<anything> at the R prompt
starts
up yet another netscape instance, but still no R help.

Anyone knows why, or even better, how to solve this?

Regards,
Andy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mikalzet at libero.it [mailto:mikalzet at libero.it]
> Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2002 10:38 AM
> To: r-announce at stat.math.ethz.ch
> Subject: R 1.5.0 RPM's for Mandrake
> 
> 
> 
> 
> RPM's and SRPM's for Mandrake versions 8.1 and 8.2 have been 
> uploaded and
> will be mirrored on CRAN shortly.
> 
> Please note that the binary -1mdk rpm's are for mandrake 8.1 while the
> -2mdk rpm's are for 8.2, install the correct version for your system.
> 
> People with mandrake 8.0 or earlier can easily build (and hopefully
> contribute) binaries; consult the readme file for instructions.
> 
> Please note: Mandrake 8.2 comes without netscape; the help.start()
> function must therefore be started as:
> 
> help.start(browser = 'mozilla')
> 
> N.B. :
> Unfortunately I have not yet figured out how to get the 
> search applet on
> the help page working - mozilla just refuses to initialize 
> the applet even
> though the java subsystem I have apparently works with 
> applets on other
> sites (e.g. www.avsi.org). This happens both with the version 
> shipped with
> 8.1 and with the version shipped with 8.2 (I've tried sun java and IBM
> java).  An error messages flashes on the bottom bar for an instant,
> something about 'impossible to access'. If any Mandrake guru 
> figures out
> why, please post. Meanwhile, 8.2 users could consider 
> installing netscape.
> 
> -- 
> Michele Alzetta
> 
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On Thu, 2 May 2002, Liaw, Andy wrote:
> I've installed Netscape 6.2.2 on Mdk82, but have not had much luck with
> help.start() (R-1.5.0 compiled from source).
>
> When I do help.start(), it just starts up netscape with the default home
> page, rather than the R help page.  Doing ?<anything> at the R prompt
starts
> up yet another netscape instance, but still no R help.
Doing help.start() a second time with netscape already started gives you
the R help page ?

Does the search applet work ?

I mean to go over to mdk 8.2 but I think I'll install a version of good
old netscape 4.7 ...

-- 
Michele Alzetta

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On Mandrake systems the help.start() search applet doesn't work for any 
combination of mozilla and java I've tried; it also doesn't work with
any
other browser except for netscape 4.7 series. Something analogous, 
I'm told, happens with Debian but not with RedHat ...

I've discovered something interesting today: if the address URL in 
mozilla is:

file:///home/user/.R/doc/html/search/SearchEngine.html

the search applet doesn't get inited, but if I change this to:

file:///usr/lib/R/doc/html/search/SearchEngine.html

it works perfectly.

So it looks as if this is a problem mozilla has with .R symlinks ?
Or with permissions ? I propend for symlinks as I've noticed another 
strange thing: if, as a normal user, I open a graphical console and su to 
root, then start R as root, help.start() will work with netscape 4.78, but 
not with mozilla ... mozilla will not start, complaining about 
/root/.R/.../index.html not existing.

.R directory and subdirectories have 755 permissions, the relevant 
symlinks 777, the permissions of files in /usr/bin/R/doc/html/search 
are 644. Changing these doesn't seem to affect things.

Hoping this may help someone find the solution.

-- 
Michele Alzetta

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(in the "body", not the subject !)  To: r-help-request at
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