[Rd] Project suggestion: Interface between R and graphic devices

[Simon Urbanek]

Knut,

On Oct 9, 2005, at 1:19 PM, Knut Krueger wrote:

>> If you prefer SciViews, JGR, R Commander, etc., then you should  
>> expect
>> some delay before R releases and compatible GUI releases. Indeed, one
>> must say that R Commander has always been released on time with the
>> latest R version, as fart as I know, and JGR is very close to.
>>
>
> and this is the point that I thought maybe there could be some   
> improvement with an universal API for GUIs


As Brian was pointing out there is such an API and as with all APIs  
it is allowed to improve between releases. All projects allow this  
including unix UI projects you mentioned. In most cases the update of  
the GUI for a next R version consists of re-compiling the GUI, that's  
all. Again, this is always necessary, independent of the API, for  
various reasons (some of them platform-dependent such as that with  
new R version the location of the R dynamic library may have changed).

The API changes usually add new functionality and hence new  
possibilities. As Philippe was saying, the delays are then not  
because of API changes, but because the GUI authors want to take  
advantage of that new functionality. (In the last 6 releases of R I  
remember only two restructuring changes in the API, both taking less  
than 5 lines of code to adapt to - modulo graphics devices, of course).

I didn't check all the GUIs, but for JGR I can say that you can get  
it immediately at the time of R release if you compile it from  
sources. From my point of view I can say that building and testing of  
installers and binaries takes far more time than fixing the code for  
API changes. If you are willing to build and test binaries during the  
R beta phase, you're encouraged to do so - that would make the GUI  
available right on time for the R release.

Cheers,
Simon