[R] R-help Digest, Vol 86, Issue 28

[Marshall Feldman]

On 4/26/10 21:45:55 R P Herrold wrote:
> Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:45:55 -0400 (EDT)
> From: R P Herrold<herrold at owlriver.com>
> To: Marshall Feldman<marsh at uri.edu>
> Cc:r-help at r-project.org
> Subject: [R] Upgrading R using the "global library folder" strategy -,
> 	what do you think about it?
> Message-ID:<alpine.LRH.2.00.1004262141510.25472 at arj.bjyevire.pbz>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
> On Mon, 26 Apr 2010, Marshall Feldman wrote:
>
>    
>> >  So why not have the appropriate
>> >  scripts ask a few questions upon the first installation of R (e.g., "Do you
>> >  want to configure R with a "global" library for packages to make future
>> >  upgrading easier?") and at upgrade time ("Your previous version of R has a
>> >  "global" library; do you want the new version to use it?). I'd even go so far
>> >  as to have the shell script automatically call an R script to run
>> >  update.packages().
>>      
> There is a large body of literature on this -- interactive
> questions of non-root users are useless; root user actiuons
> need to be scripted into the package management system
> acessible to automation to be scaleable, and to attain the
> needed administrator level permissions to make changed
>
>    
>> >  The point is that most users just want to upgrade, and the upgrade procedure
>> >  can and should (a) make this as seamless as possible and (b) allow those who
>> >  may want to run specialized versions of R opt out of the automatic procedure.
>>      
> and computers in a environment that has to conform to a
> hard specification (think: pharma research for FDA report
> preparation; financial service firms) that the IT department
> manages, cannot tolerate such diversity
>
> There is no easy answer here, as 'one size cannot fit all'
>
> -- Russ herrold
>    

Y'know, I hadn't thought of multi-user machines, network installs, and 
all that. It's been so long since I've worked on a system like that.

Still, this raises some questions. On multi-user installations is there 
a single library shared by all users or does each user have his/her own 
library? If the latter, then the question is moot because installation 
and library configuration are separate things. If the former, then would 
having a standard arrangement that a root user could modify/override work?

Also, assuming a large number of R installations are on machines used by 
a single user (and perhaps others in a relatively unsophisticated 
arrangement, such as a home computer shared by family members), do you 
think having scripts along the lines I suggested would work for a large 
portion of such users?

One could also have switches on an installation command line. I'm not 
trying to impose a one-size-fits-all model, but sometimes 
standardization is good.

The point is that no matter what the nature of the system, suggestions 
as to best practices and automations to accomplish them should be 
present if at all possible. One can always deviate, but it's good to do 
so consciously.

-- Marsh Feldman