Is there a recommended binary version of perl to use under Windows XP for `Rcmd build'? The R FAQ for Windows just mentions "perl". I think that Kevin Wang's document on R for Windows suggests ActiveState perl but I have not been able to install it. I am running Windows XP Professional on a laptop. The operating system was originally Windows 98 then upgraded to Windows ME then to XP Pro. I have downloaded the MSI installer version of ActiveState perl 5.8.0 and tried to install it. All that happens when I execute the installer is that I get a command prompt window that exits a few moments later, apparently with no effect. I tried this a few times, rebooted the computer and tried again and still no luck. I then removed the 5.8.0 installer and downloaded the ActivePerl-5.6.1.635 MSI installer instead but the same thing happened. Should I try Apache Perl or some other binary distribution instead? -- Douglas Bates bates at stat.wisc.edu Statistics Department 608/262-2598 University of Wisconsin - Madison http://www.stat.wisc.edu/~bates/
>-----Original Message----- >From: r-help-admin at stat.math.ethz.ch >[mailto:r-help-admin at stat.math.ethz.ch] On Behalf Of Douglas Bates >Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2003 12:52 PM >To: r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch >Subject: [R] Perl on Windows XP for Rcmd build > > >Is there a recommended binary version of perl to use under >Windows XP for `Rcmd build'? The R FAQ for Windows just >mentions "perl". I think that Kevin Wang's document on R for >Windows suggests ActiveState perl but I have not been able to >install it. > >I am running Windows XP Professional on a laptop. The >operating system was originally Windows 98 then upgraded to >Windows ME then to XP Pro. I have downloaded the MSI >installer version of ActiveState perl 5.8.0 and tried to >install it. All that happens when I execute the installer is >that I get a command prompt window that exits a few moments >later, apparently with no effect. I tried this a few times, >rebooted the computer and tried again and still no luck. I >then removed the 5.8.0 installer and downloaded the >ActivePerl-5.6.1.635 MSI installer instead but the same thinghappened.> >Should I try Apache Perl or some other binary distribution instead? > >-- >Douglas Bates bates at stat.wisc.edu >Statistics Department 608/262-2598 >University of Wisconsin - Madison >http://www.stat.wisc.edu/~bates/Doug, I have ActiveState 5.6 installed on my XP Pro system, having used the .msi version of the install program. You might want to be sure that you have all XP updates installed, which would include the SP1a update. This is available at http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/pro/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/defa ult.asp or you can use IE to go to Windows Update and get any required updates there. Mozilla (not surprisingly) will not work there. There are no updates to my knowledge for XP for the installer program, though there are for Win9x/NT to upgrade to version 2. It is possible of course that something has been compromised on your system, given the OS updates. Prompted by your e-mail, I just upgraded to 5.8 and had no problem just double-clicking on the .msi install file. If you continue to have a problem, you can download the .zip version of the 5.8 (or 5.6) install file from the ActiveState download page at http://www.activestate.com/Products/Download/Download.plex?id=ActivePe rl. This has a batch install file in the archive. Hope that might provide some guidance. Regards, Marc Schwartz
Douglas Bates <bates at stat.wisc.edu> writes:> Is there a recommended binary version of perl to use under Windows XP > for `Rcmd build'? The R FAQ for Windows just mentions "perl". I > think that Kevin Wang's document on R for Windows suggests ActiveState > perl but I have not been able to install it. > > I am running Windows XP Professional on a laptop. The operating > system was originally Windows 98 then upgraded to Windows ME then to > XP Pro. I have downloaded the MSI installer version of ActiveState > perl 5.8.0 and tried to install it. All that happens when I execute > the installer is that I get a command prompt window that exits a few > moments later, apparently with no effect. I tried this a few times, > rebooted the computer and tried again and still no luck. I then > removed the 5.8.0 installer and downloaded the ActivePerl-5.6.1.635 > MSI installer instead but the same thing happened.Hmm.... I'm actually in the IDENTICAL situation (just inherited a laptop from a prof in another dept who insisted that I edit files in MS Word rather than OpenOffice :-); It's an ancient IBM thinkpad, originally Win98, now Win XP Pro (no "ME" in the middle, though). No problems with installing ActivePerl 5.8.0 Build 805. Did you try the AS installer instead of the MSI? best, -tony -- A.J. Rossini Rsrch. Asst. Prof. of Biostatistics U. of Washington Biostatistics rossini at u.washington.edu FHCRC/SCHARP/HIV Vaccine Trials Net rossini at scharp.org -------------- http://software.biostat.washington.edu/ ---------------- FHCRC: M: 206-667-7025 (fax=4812)|Voicemail is pretty sketchy/use Email UW: Th: 206-543-1044 (fax=3286)|Change last 4 digits of phone to FAX (my tuesday/wednesday/friday locations are completely unpredictable.)
You do need Windows Perl, but I have only tested ActiveState perl. Cygwin Perl wil not work: it does not understand the Windows paths. We've never seen a problem with ActiveState perl on XP. On 15 Feb 2003, Douglas Bates wrote:> Is there a recommended binary version of perl to use under Windows XP > for `Rcmd build'? The R FAQ for Windows just mentions "perl". I > think that Kevin Wang's document on R for Windows suggests ActiveState > perl but I have not been able to install it. > > I am running Windows XP Professional on a laptop. The operating > system was originally Windows 98 then upgraded to Windows ME then to > XP Pro. I have downloaded the MSI installer version of ActiveState > perl 5.8.0 and tried to install it. All that happens when I execute > the installer is that I get a command prompt window that exits a few > moments later, apparently with no effect. I tried this a few times, > rebooted the computer and tried again and still no luck. I then > removed the 5.8.0 installer and downloaded the ActivePerl-5.6.1.635 > MSI installer instead but the same thing happened. > > Should I try Apache Perl or some other binary distribution instead? > >-- Brian D. Ripley, ripley at 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 272866 (PA) Oxford OX1 3TG, UK Fax: +44 1865 272595