On 29 Apr 2010, at 00:41, Simon Urbanek wrote: > > On Apr 28, 2010, at 5:47 PM, Yan Zhou wrote: > >> Thank you for clarify all this for me. >> >> If I understand correctly. I can build R from scratch with any compilers >> support required language features (like F95 or partial C99). And use those >> compilers to install packages from source. In this way I can take any >> advantaged may provid by those compilers or library like MKL. >> >> However, if I want to use the distributed binary version of R, I have to use >> the same compiler configuration to build package or use the binary version >> package distributed from CRAN. >> >> Hope I get the right idea. >> > > Yes, exactly. > > (Just FWIW regarding MKL: our binary uses vecLib/Accelerate which is quite > well optimized by Apple and was the most efficient one when I tested it > against MKL and others). >
Thanks for pointing out that. After compiled with linking to MKL this afternoon, I did some benchmarking tests. I also found out that vecLib is more efficient than MKL. I got access to MKL through my department recently, so I gave it a try. However, I think I will still stick to the vecLib version. > Cheers, > Simon > > >> >> On 28 Apr 2010, at 22:39, Simon Urbanek wrote: >> >>> >>> On Apr 28, 2010, at 4:26 PM, Yan Zhou wrote: >>> >>>> I have a some sort silly question. Which fortran compiler is usable with >>>> R, e.g., building package from source. >>>> >>>> I intended to install the gfortran from CRAN. But noticed that it will >>>> install cc1 and the text in installer stated that it is not recommended to >>>> install it with Xcode later than 3.2. I have 3.2.2 installed right now. >>>> >>> >>> Apple has not released Xcode 3.2.2 sources yet so we cannot build the >>> corresponding version. What you can do (if you want) is to save the cc1 >>> from Xcode and install the Fortran anyway. >>> >>> That said, you don't have to. You can equally well use the separate Fortran >>> from CRAN >>> http://cran.us.r-project.org/bin/macosx/tools/ >>> if you want. (It's not how we build R anymore but it also works - at least >>> with R 2.11.0) >>> >>> >>>> Besides I find on the website that gfortran from HPC will not work. >>>> >>>> So my question is that, what is the problem with the HPC version of >>>> gfortran. What is the criteria for a fortran compiler to be usable with R. >>> >>> It must support Apple driver's driver (for things like -arch ppc -arch i386 >>> etc.) and have the corresponding cross-compilers included so you can build >>> universal binaries. The HPC fortran is typically a single-host same-target >>> compiler so it won't be able to do that (and has no Apple driver). In >>> addition HPC compilers used to be a mess - they mostly didn't work at all >>> due to library issues and cross-OS pollution, but I didn't test them >>> lately, so may be things have improved in the meantime. >>> >>> >>>> I have intel fortran compiler installed. I managed to use it to compile a >>>> usable R-devel build from source. However, successful compiling doesn't >>>> imply that the generated code has no problem. >>>> >>> >>> If you build R from scratch from sources, there is no issue - you can use >>> almost anything. What we are talking about is CRAN R binary - and by >>> definition you can only use compilers that are compatible to the compilers >>> used to compile that binary. That's what the recommended compilers are >>> about. If you build your own R, you can use whatever flags you wish, so you >>> can get different compilers to work -- but you won't be able to install >>> package binaries from CRAN (in general). >> >>> I hope it helps. >>> >>> Cheers, >>> Simon >>> >> >> > _______________________________________________ R-SIG-Mac mailing list R-SIG-Mac@stat.math.ethz.ch https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-sig-mac
