[Rd] R 2.12.0 problems with Windows XP 32-bit binary installer

[Duncan Murdoch]

Bill.Venables at csiro.au wrote:
> I am having a problem with the installed R 2.12.0 on 32-bit Windows XP machine using the binary version. 
>
> The installer I am using is R-2.12.0-win.exe .  The problem I have is that some of my installed packages will not load, in particular PolynomF, which has a pre-compiled .dll.  Other packages such as SOAR, which is pure R, attach and work without a hitch.
>
> The error message I am getting when trying to load PolynomF is a question whether or not the package has been compiled for the present architecture.  (This package works without a hitch on R-2.11.1, for example.)
>
> Is there any significance in the name of the installer now including just "win" rather than "win32", as it was in the last release?
>
> Is it the case that all packages will have to be re-built for the present release?


Generally packages do need to be rebuilt for new versions of R (other 
than patch releases, where only the last digit changes).  R 2.12.0 
supports both 32 bit and 64 bit Windows in the same installation, and 
since Windows doesn't have MacOS-like "universal" binaries, that means 
binaries need to be put in the right place.  Generally that's an i386 
subdirectory for 32 bit, and an x64 directory for 64 bit. 

I don't know why a 32 bit DLL wouldn't work with 32 bit R 2.12.0, but if 
it was installed for 2.11.1, it might not be in the right place.

Duncan Murdoch