Software Installation Guide

ENV 872 - EDA   |   Spring 2024   |   Instructors: Luana Lima,  John Fay  |  


If you decide on using a personal (or virtual) machine for this class, you will need to install the software we use: R, RStudio, and Git. This document guides you through the process of doing that. If you decide to use a Nicholas School machine or an RStudio container, do not need to install these software packages!

Recorded instructions: →For Windows →For Mac OS

R

If you already have R installed, please ensure you are using version 4.3.1. If not, follow the instructions below.
If you do not have R installed, follow the instructions below.

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to the Duke CRAN mirror: https://archive.linux.duke.edu/cran/
  2. Select your operating system (Mac, Windows, Linux)
    • For Windows Users: install the base package
    • For Mac Users: install the R-4.3.1.pkg file. Note: you must have OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) installed or higher. You must also install XQuartz, which can be found in the Latest Release paragraphs on the same page.

RStudio

If you already have RStudio installed, please ensure you are using version RStudio-2023.06.1-254. To check that you are using the most up-to-date version, go to the Help menu in RStudio and select “Check for Updates.” You will be instructed to install any updates that are available.
If you do not have RStudio installed on your computer, please do the following:

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://posit.co/download/rstudio-desktop/
  2. Select and download the appropriate RStudio Desktop installer for your operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux)
  3. Open the installer and follow the onscreen directions, selecting all defaults when installing.

Git

Installing Git for the first time

If you already use Git, please ensure you are using the most up-to-date version. If you do not have Git yet installed, please do the following:

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://git-scm.com/download/
  2. Select and follow the appropriate installer instructions for your operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux).
  3. Open the installer and follow the onscreen directions.
    • On Mac:
      You will need to make sure you have Xcode Command Line Tools installed. To test this, type which g++ into Terminal. If you get /usr/bin/g+ as a reply, then you are ready to move on.
      For Git options when installing, we recommend “Checkout as-is, commit Unix-style line endings”.
    • On Windows:
      Use all the of the installation defaults.

Updating Git

  • Open the Git shell.
  • Type git --version to check your version. If the version is 2.42.0, you are up to date!
  • Type git update if you need to update to version 2.42.0.