[ESS] ESS on CentOS 5 throwing errors

[Marc Schwartz]

On Aug 20, 2012, at 12:06 PM, Emmanuel Levy <emmanuel.levy at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I tried to install ESS on a CentOS machine (unfortunately no choice on
> the OS...).
> 
> However when I start xemacs (installed from EPEL) I get the following
> error messages (copied below).
> 
> Any idea what this mean?
> 
> Thanks for any help,
> 
> Emmanuel
> 
> =============================================
> The last ESS version (ess-12.04-4) is in /root/bin/ and is loaded by
> the command:
> 
> (load "/root/bin/ess-12.04-4/lisp/ess-site.el")
> 
> which is in /root/.xemacs/init.el
> 
> =============================================
> 
> (1) (initialization/error) An error has occurred while loading
> /root/.xemacs/init.el:
> 
> Cannot open load file: "executable"
> 
> Backtrace follows:
> 
>  signal(file-error ("Cannot open load file" "executable"))
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("executable" nil require nil)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  require(executable)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  load-internal("ess-custom" nil require nil undecided)
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("ess-custom" nil require nil)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  require(ess-custom)
>  (progn (require (quote ess-custom)))
>  (eval-and-compile (require (quote ess-custom)))
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  load-internal("ess" nil require nil undecided)
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("ess" nil require nil)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  require(ess)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  load-internal("ess-mode" nil require nil undecided)
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("ess-mode" nil require nil)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  require(ess-mode)
>  # bind (force)
>  ess-toggle-underscore(force-to-S-assign)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  load-internal("ess-s-l" nil require nil undecided)
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("ess-s-l" nil require nil)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  require(ess-s-l)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  load-internal("ess-r-d" nil require nil undecided)
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("ess-r-d" nil require nil)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  require(ess-r-d)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  load-internal("/root/bin/ess-12.04-4/lisp/ess-site.el" nil nil nil undecided)
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("/root/bin/ess-12.04-4/lisp/ess-site.el")
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  load-internal("/root/.xemacs/init.el" t t t undecided)
>  # bind (handler path nosuffix nomessage noerror filename)
>  load("/root/.xemacs/init.el" t t t)
>  load-user-init-file()
>  #<compiled-function nil "...(10)" [init-file-had-error
> load-user-init-file-p load-user-init-file nil] 2>()
>  # (unwind-protect ...)
>  call-with-condition-handler(#<compiled-function
> (__load_init_file_arg__) "...(26)" [init-file-had-error user-init-file
> __load_init_file_arg__ errstr error-message-string message "Error in
> init file: %s" lwarn initialization error "An error has occurred while
> loading %s:\n\n%s\n\nBacktrace follows:\n\n%s\n\nTo ensure normal
> operation, you should investigate the cause of the error\nin your
> initialization file and remove it.  Use the `-debug-init' option\nto
> XEmacs to enter the debugger when the error occurs and investigate
> the\nexact problem."
> backtrace-in-condition-handler-eliminating-handler t] 8>
> #<compiled-function nil "...(10)" [init-file-had-error
> load-user-init-file-p load-user-init-file nil] 2>)
>  # (condition-case ... . ((error)))
>  # bind (debug-on-error debug-on-error-from-init-file
> debug-on-error-should-be-set debug-on-error-initial)
>  load-init-file()
>  # bind (command-line-args-left)
>  command-line()
>  # (condition-case ... . ((t (byte-code "	 ‡" [error-data data nil] 1))))
>  # bind (error-data)
>  normal-top-level()
>  # (condition-case ... . error)
>  # (catch top-level ...)
> 
> 
> To ensure normal operation, you should investigate the cause of the error
> in your initialization file and remove it.  Use the `-debug-init' option
> to XEmacs to enter the debugger when the error occurs and investigate the
> exact problem.
> 


My first question would be why was ESS and the relevant config file(s) installed in root's directory tree? You would only have access to those files when you are logged in as root and you should never be logged in as root, much less running applications as root, unless you are performing system administration related tasks.

You should be installing ESS in either your local user tree or in a system-wide tree that is accessible by all users. If you have not yet, you should read:

  http://ess.r-project.org/Manual/readme.html#Installation

Regards,

Marc Schwartz