[R] trouble with help.start()

[John Sorkin]

R 2.0.1 running on Linux Core 3.

I am having trouble running the HTML help system. 
When I issue the command help.start() as a "normal" users I receive the
following messssage

> help.start()
Making links in per-session dir ...
If /usr/bin/firefox is already running, it is *not* restarted, and you
    must switch to its window.
Otherwise, be patient ...
> Error: No running window found
*** loading the extensions datasource
*** ExtensionManager:_updateManifests: no access privileges to
application directory, skipping.

When I issue the command as root everything works fine. I suspect the
problem is related to file rights, but I do not know which file I do not
have rights to. Any help would be appreciated

Thanks 
John

John Sorkin M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Biostatistics and Informatics
Baltimore VA Medical Center GRECC and
University of Maryland School of Medicine Claude Pepper OAIC

University of Maryland School of Medicine
Division of Gerontology
Baltimore VA Medical Center
10 North Greene Street
GRECC (BT/18/GR)
Baltimore, MD 21201-1524

410-605-7119 
- NOTE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS:
jsorkin at grecc.umaryland.edu