[Rd] optional package dependency (enhances)

[Allen S. Rout]

tl;dr: Repackaging in native formats dramatically improves user access to packages.


>> On Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:23:51 +0100, Uwe Ligges <ligges at statistik.tu-dortmund.de> said:

> 1. You probably mean "Depends" rather than "Requires".
> 2. You forgot "LinkingTo"

Heh, thanks!  I'll add them.

> All binary packages on CRAN are checked, we do not need a signature.

Since you don't generate e.g. RPMs, every packaging system is forced
to re-do this work.  I was talking about that signature, the one on
the RPM.

> Recursive reverse dependencies are also checked after updates. Hence
> you do not need to worry at all. Be sure we did most of the work
> already.


Some of us care a lot about automatically understanding the installed
packages on a system.  This lets us do things like cleanly and
consistently produce a new one "like that".  This goal is very
important to many sysadmin types.

It is intractible to ask, e.g. R, Perl, Python, Ruby, Mozilla,
etc... essentially every application that came up with a plugin or
module system, "Hey, what do -you- think is installed".  It is also
extra overhead to expect each system administrator to go learn CPAN,
jpp, ppi, gems, CRAN, etc... it adds myriad extra steps to the
analysis and configuration of machines.

On the other hand, many R developers appear to live in a world of
machines which are unique flowers, and they expect that other machines
with which they interact will be nurtured in the same individual way.
This is not "bad", it is just "different"; but the architectural
decisions which are completely reasonable in a world of individual
gardens place restrictions on those who would like to plant 100 or
1000 machines, all identical.


If we on the borders connecting R to [distribution in question] can
easily repackage R software, then the utility of R to the world will
increase.  I think this would be a good thing.


I understand that it's not a big priority for that fraction of R-devel
who lives amongst their gardens, and I'm not offhand expecting some
mass conversion here. :) But I wanted to make the case.  



- Allen S. Rout