ESS -- Emacs Speaks Statistics


General Information: README

This is the README file for the distribution of ESS version 5.1.24

The final release of the 5.1.x series on the way to 5.2 (the next stable distribution). ESS is a GNU Emacs and XEmacs mode for interactive statistical programming and data analysis. Languages supported: the S family (S 3/4, S-PLUS 3/4/5/6, and R), SAS, XLispStat, Stata and BUGS. Installation help can be found in sections for both Unix and Windows. ESS grew out of the desire for bug fixes and extensions to S-mode and SAS-mode as well as a consistent union of their features in one package.

The current development team is led by A.J. (Tony) Rossini (rossini@biostat.washington.edu), who did the initial port to XEmacs and has been the primary coder. Martin Maechler (maechler@stat.math.ethz.ch) and Kurt Hornik (hornik@ci.tuwien.ac.at) have assisted with S-PLUS, S4, R, and XLispStat. Richard M. Heiberger (rmh@surfer.sbm.temple.edu) has assisted with S-PLUS and S4 development for Windows. Richard and Rodney A. Sparapani (rsparapa@mcw.edu) have done much of the work implementing interactive SAS (iESS[SAS]) and batch SAS (ESS[SAS]) support.

We are grateful to the previous developers of S-mode (Doug Bates, Ed Kademan, Frank Ritter, David M. Smith), SAS-mode (Tom Cook) and Stata-mode (Thomas Lumley).

License

ESS is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later version.

ESS is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License in the file COPYING in the same directory as this file for more details.

New Features

Changes/New Features in 5.2.0:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.24:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.23:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.22:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.21:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.20:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.19:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.18:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.17:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.16:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.15:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.14:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.13:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.12:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.11:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.10:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.9:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.8:

Changes/New Features in 5.1.2:

Current Features

Stability

Versions 5.1.x are meant to be gamma-level releases. While some bugs are fixed, others may have been introduced, especially with regards to new features. See the file doc/TODO for details. Bug reports are solicited; see the Bugs Section below. Patches or suggested coding fixes with bug reports are much appreciated!

Requirements

ESS works best with either GNU Emacs version 20.3 or higher, or XEmacs version 20.0 or higher. It has been most thoroughly tested with:

on the following platforms

with the following versions of emacs

Getting the Latest Version

The latest stable version of ESS is always available on the web at: ESS web page or StatLib

The latest public version of ESS can also be retrieved via cvs client. If you have a firewall, then you may need to take appropriate action.

The repository name is

:pserver:anoncvs@software.biostat.washington.edu:/var/anoncvs

Using a command-line cvs client (i.e. on Unix or DOS), first type:

cvs -d :pserver:anoncvs@software.biostat.washington.edu:/var/anoncvs login

The password is "anoncvs".

Then type:

cvs -d :pserver:anoncvs@software.biostat.washington.edu:/var/anoncvs co ess

Installation (from tar file)

We now discuss installation, which might happen under Unix or Microsoft Windows. First, we discuss Unix installation. See section Unix installation.

For Microsoft Windows Installation please skip to the See section Microsoft Windows installation.

Unix installation

  1. cd to a directory where you want to install ESS, creating it if necessary. This directory will be referred to below as ESSDIR.
  2. Retrieve the latest version from gzipped tar file to ESSDIR.
  3. Decompress/unarchive the files from the disribution.
    gunzip ess-VERSION.tar.gz
    tar xvf ess-VERSION.tar
    
    (or: gunzip < ess-VERSION.tar.gz | tar xvf - ).
    (or using GNU tar:  tar zxvf ess-VERSION.tar.gz).
    
    The tar command will create the subdirectory ess-VERSION and unarchive the files there. If you are using GNU Emacs 19.29, decompress/unarchive `ESSDIR/ess-VERSION/lisp/19.29.tar.gz', read `ESSDIR/ess-VERSION/lisp/19.29/README', follow the instructions and you might be able to get ESS to work. Please note that GNU Emacs 19.29 is no longer supported. For a list of supported versions of emacs, see See section Requirements.
  4. Edit the file `ESSDIR/ess-VERSION/lisp/ess-site.el' as explained in the comments section of that file.
  5. Add the line
    (load "ESSDIR/ess-VERSION/lisp/ess-site")
    
    to your user or system installation file (GNU Emacs uses `$HOME/.emacs' and XEmacs uses `$HOME/.xemacs/init.el' for the user initialization file. GNU Emacs uses default.el or site-init.el and XEmacs uses site-start.el for the system installation file). Alternatively, if ess-site.el is in your current Lisp path, you can do:
    (require 'ess-site)
    
    to configure emacs for ESS.
  6. That's it! To edit statistical programs, load the files with the requiste extensions (".sas" for SAS, ".S" for S-PLUS, ".R" for R, and ".lsp" for XLispStat).
  7. (OPTIONAL) If you are running S-PLUS or R, you might consider installing the database files. From within emacs, C-x d to the directory containing ESS. Now:
    M-x S+6
    
    get running. once you have reached the SPLUS prompt, do:
    M-x ess-create-object-name-db
    
    (this will create the file `ess-s+6-namedb.el'; if it isn't in the ESS directory, move it there). Then, completions will be autoloaded and will not be regenerated for every session. For R, do the same, using
    M-x R
    
    and then M-x ess-create-object-name-db creating `ess-r-namedb.el'; if it isn't in the ESS directory, move it there).
  8. (OPTIONAL) READ THIS ITEM THOROUGHLY BEFORE STARTING: In the ESSDIR/ess-VERSION directory, edit the file `Makeconf' if you want to place the compiled files in other locations; see LISPDIR and INFODIR. Then type:
    make all
    
    If this works, then you might try:
    make install
    
    This will install the info files (and the lisp files, if they are to go in another directory). Don't forget to edit the file `dir' in the info directory specified by INFODIR in `doc/Makefile'. See the sample `dir' file for an example of the line to add. If you are using XEmacs, you might do:
    make EMACS=xemacs all
    
    and then
    make EMACS=xemacs install
    
    instead of editing the Makefile. Note that you might need to use GNU make for everything to work properly An alternative, if you are running XEmacs and have access to the XEmacs system directories, would be to place the directory in the site-lisp directory, and simply type make all (and copy the documentation as appropriate). For GNU Emacs, you would still have to move the files into the top level site-lisp directory.

Microsoft Windows installation

For Microsoft Windows installation, please follow the next steps: (see separate instructions above for UNIX See section Unix installation.

  1. cd to a directory where you keep emacs lisp files, or create a new directory (for example, `c:\emacs\') to hold the distribution. This directory will be referred to below as "the ESS distribution directory". It will contain, at the end, either the tar file `ess-VERSION.tar.gz' or the zip file `ess-VERSION.zip', and a directory for the ESS source, which will be termed "the ESS-VERSION source directory".
  2. Retrieve the compressed tar file `ess-VERSION.tar.gz' or the zipped file `ess-VERSION.zip' from one of the FTP or WWW archive sites via FTP (or HTTP). Be aware that http browsers on Windows frequently change the "." and "-" characters in filenames to other punctuation. Please change the names back to their original form.
  3. Copy `ess-VERSION.tar.gz' to the location where you want the ess-VERSION directory, for example to `c:\emacs\ess-VERSION.tar.gz', and cd there. For example,
    cd c:\emacs
    
    Extract the files from the distribution, which will unpack into a subdirectory, `ess-VERSION'.
    gunzip ess-VERSION.tar.gz
    tar xvf ess-VERSION.tar
    (or: gunzip < ess-VERSION.tar.gz | tar xvf - ).
    (or: from the zip file: unzip ess-VERSION.zip)
    
    The tar command will extract files into the current directory. Do not create `ess-VERSION' yourself, or you will get an extra level of depth to your directory structure.
  4. Windows users will usually be able to use the `lisp/ess-site.el' as distributed. Only rarely will changes be needed.
  5. Windows users will need to make sure that the directories for the software they will be using is in the PATH environment variable. On Windows 9x, add lines similar to the following to your `c:\autoexec.bat' file:
    path=%PATH%;c:\progra~1\spls2000\cmd
    
    On Windows NT/2000, add the directories to the PATH using the MyComputer menu. Note that the directory containing the program is added to the PATH, not the program itself. One such line is needed for each software program. Be sure to use the abbreviation progra~1 and not the long version with embedded blanks. Use backslashes "\".
  6. Add the line
    (load "/PATH/ess-site")
    
    to your .emacs (or _emacs) file (or default.el or site-init.el, for a site-wide installation). Replace /PATH above with the value of ess-lisp-directory as defined in `ess-site.el'. Use forwardslashes /. (GNU Emacs uses the filename `%HOME%/.emacs' and XEmacs uses the filename `%HOME%/.xemacs/init.el' for the initialization file.)
  7. To edit statistical programs, load the files with the requisite extensions (".sas" for SAS, ".S" or "s" or "q" or "Q" for S-PLUS, ".r" or ".R" for R, and ".lsp" for XLispStat).
  8. To run statistical processes under emacs: Run S-PLUS 6.x or 2000 with:
    M-x S+6
    (or M-x S).
    
    You will then be asked for a pathname ("S starting data directory?"), from which to start the process. The prompt will propose your current directory as the default. Similarly for S-PLUS 6.x. Send lines or regions from the emacs buffer containing your S program (for example, `myfile.s') to the S-Plus Commands Window with the C-c C-n or C-c C-r keys. Run S-PLUS 6.x or 2000 inside an emacs buffer
    M-x Sqpe+6
    
    You will then be asked for a pathname ("S starting data directory?"), from which to start the process. The prompt will propose your current directory as the default. Similarly for S-PLUS 6.x. Send lines or regions from the emacs buffer containing your S program (for example, `myfile.s') to the *S+6* buffer with the C-c C-n or C-c C-r keys. You do not have access to interactive graphics in this mode. You get Unix-like behavior, in particular the entire transcript is available for emacs-style search commands. If you wish to run R, you can start it with:
    M-x R
    
    XLispStat can not currently be run with
    M-x XLS
    
    Hopefully, this will change. However, you can still edit with emacs, and cut and paste the results into the XLispStat *Listener* Window under Microsoft Windows. SAS for Windows uses the batch access with function keys that is described in `doc/README.SAS'. The user can also edit SAS files in an ESS[SAS] buffer and than manually copy and paste them into an Editor window in the SAS Display Manager. For Windows, inferior SAS in an iESS[SAS] buffer does not work on the local machine. It does work over a network connection to SAS running on a remote Unix computer. Reason: we use ddeclient to interface with programs and SAS doesn't provide the corresponding ddeserver capability.
  9. (OPTIONAL) If you are running Sqpe or R, you might consider installing the database files. From within emacs, C-x d to the directory containing ESS. Now:
    M-x Sqpe+6
    
    (get running. once you have reached the SPLUS prompt, do:)
    M-x ess-create-object-name-db
    
    (this will create the file `ess-s+6-namedb.el'; if it isn't in the ESS directory, move it there). Then, completions will be autoloaded and will not be regenerated for every session. For R, do the same, using
    M-x R
    
    and then M-x ess-create-object-name-db creating `ess-r-namedb.el'; if it isn't in the ESS directory, move it there).
  10. That's it!

Requirements

ESS works best with either GNU Emacs version 20.3 or higher, or XEmacs version 20.0 or higher. It has been most thoroughly tested with:

on the following platforms

with the following versions of emacs

Reporting Bugs

Please send bug reports, suggestions etc. to

ESS-bugs@stat.math.ethz.ch

The easiest way to do this is within Emacs by typing

M-x ess-submit-bug-report

This also gives the maintainers valuable information about your installation which may help us to identify or even fix the bug.

Note that comments, suggestions, words of praise and large cash donations are also more than welcome.

Mailing Lists

There is a mailing list for discussions and announcements relating to ESS. Join the list by sending an e-mail with "subscribe ess-help" (or "help") in the body to ess-help-request@stat.math.ethz.ch; contributions to the list may be mailed to ess-help@stat.math.ethz.ch. Rest assured, this is a fairly low-volume mailing list.

The purposes of the mailing list include

Authors


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