R devel - Jul 2006 - options("quit.with.no.save"), and Windows installer changes

I've just committed a couple of changes to R-devel related to requests 
at userR about the Windows installer.  The first of these affects all 
platforms, but I've only tested it on Windows:

I added an option "quit.with.no.save".  If TRUE, then the default 
q("ask") prompt will not offer to save the workspace.  This is in 
response to the observation that new users who are instructed not to 
save their workspace, get confused when they accidentally answer Yes to 
the prompt to save it.

I'm not sure about the wording of the user prompt question, which is now 
"Quit and discard workspace?".  The problem with this wording is that 
someone who automatically hits "y" will lose their work.  I've
tried on
Windows to make the dialog box look different enough that they should be 
warned.

I haven't made any change to the Mac GUI to support this.  On 
Unix-alikes, the text prompt should respect this option.

The other change is to the Windows installer, to allow the user to 
choose whether to set quit.with.no.save, MDI/SDI display, and help style 
at install time.  The only (intentional) change to the current behaviour 
is to default to CHM help instead of plain text.

These changes will show up in builds based on revision 38480 or later.

Duncan Murdoch

>>>>> "Duncan" == Duncan Murdoch <murdoch at
stats.uwo.ca>
>>>>>     on Tue, 04 Jul 2006 08:32:08 -0400 writes:
    Duncan> I've just committed a couple of changes to R-devel related to
requests
    Duncan> at userR about the Windows installer.  The first of these affects
all
    Duncan> platforms, but I've only tested it on Windows:

    Duncan> I added an option "quit.with.no.save".  If TRUE,
    Duncan> then the default q("ask") prompt will not offer to
    Duncan> save the workspace.  This is in response to the
    Duncan> observation that new users who are instructed not to
    Duncan> save their workspace, get confused when they
    Duncan> accidentally answer Yes to the prompt to save it.

Ok...  but I probably misunderstand a bit:

The default has not been   q(save = "ask") but  q(save =
"default"),
and that default has depended on startup.

Even now, "R --no-save"  already did have the desired effect,
on Unix at least.  For my ESS setup, I have made this an automatic
default many months ago.

Wouldn't it be easier and sufficient to make "--no-save" a
working option on all platforms ?
Or is the point really about changing the quitting dialog?
For me quitting *without* a dialog is the most important thing
which I use (often several times a day).

    Duncan> I'm not sure about the wording of the user prompt
    Duncan> question, which is now "Quit and discard
    Duncan> workspace?".  The problem with this wording is that
    Duncan> someone who automatically hits "y" will lose their
    Duncan> work.  I've tried on Windows to make the dialog box
    Duncan> look different enough that they should be warned.

good!

    Duncan> I haven't made any change to the Mac GUI to support this.  On
    Duncan> Unix-alikes, the text prompt should respect this option.

    Duncan> The other change is to the Windows installer, to
    Duncan> allow the user to choose whether to set
    Duncan> quit.with.no.save, MDI/SDI display, and help style
    Duncan> at install time.  The only (intentional) change to
    Duncan> the current behaviour is to default to CHM help
    Duncan> instead of plain text.

People have asked me in private about this, and I didn't know
the answer:
Is it true that this means that people can no longer commit the
"cheap package install trick" on Windows for  R-code-only
packages?
Namely
  1) install a source package on a Linux/Unix/MacOSX machine
     (where it is often simple to have all the necessary tools available)
  2) zip the resulting installed package
  3) unzip it on the target Windows machine into the corresponding
     library (directory).

Of course, this trick will not provide any *.chm help files.
Will the cheap-installed package still work, using the *.txt (or
*.html) help files?


    Duncan> These changes will show up in builds based on
    Duncan> revision 38480 or later.

    Duncan> Duncan Murdoch

Thanks a lot, Duncan!


    Duncan> ______________________________________________
    Duncan> R-devel at r-project.org mailing list
    Duncan> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel

On 4 July 2006 at 08:32, Duncan Murdoch wrote:
| at install time.  The only (intentional) change to the current behaviour 
| is to default to CHM help instead of plain text.

Some people may take offence with the fact that a non-open-source tool is now
required to build GNU R on the Windows platform. I liked the old setting
where you could use the chm compiler, if installed, but could live quite well
without it too.

Dirk

-- 
Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something. 
                                                  -- Thomas A. Edison