[ESS] feature request: look more places for R on windows

[Martin Maechler]

On Thu, Mar 28, 2013 at 8:30 PM, Rodney Sparapani <rsparapa at mcw.edu> wrote:
> On 03/28/2013 01:42 PM, Ross Boylan wrote:
>>
>> BTW, the path is available in the registry at
>> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\R-core\R\2.15.3 under InstallPath.  There is
>> also an entry that uses \R32\ instead of \R\ in the registry tree.
>
>
> Something like this has been suggested before (for example, see the
> discussion from June 15th).  There are a few problems here:
>
> 1) Generally, ESS developers are not cracker-jack Windows developers.
> 2) There have been MAJOR changes in Windows especially 7 and 8
> which may (or may not) be at issue here; for example, multi-user
> installs of ESS require omniscience.
> 3) it is not obvious to me why we need to search both the
> HKLM and HKCU root keys (and perhaps others as well?!?).
>
> So, I don't see this suggestion being acted on UNLESS there is
> a Windows developer lurking out there who wants to work on ESS.

Hmm... definitely no Windows developer on this end,  but still:

I've recently advertized to a close family member who works in a
regulated environment, Windows only +
Big brother is installing also software company wide,
that you can easily install R and use it without admin priviledges...
and received a very grateful response.
Now Ross makes use exactly of this situation.
I think it would be very nice if ESS on Windows searched the user home
directory as well.
A propos registry; I think we still do not use it even though we had a
(patch ?) proposal a couple of months ago to do it?

Martin

> But, thanks anyways ;o)
>
> --
> Rodney Sparapani, PhD  Center for Patient Care and Outcomes Research
> Sr. Biostatistician               http://www.mcw.edu/pcor
> 4 wheels good, 2 wheels better!   Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW)
> WWLD?:  What Would Lombardi Do?   Milwaukee, WI, USA
>
>
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