[Rd] R CMD INSTALL fail deletes earlier versions

[Barry Rowlingson]

Just tried to update devtools for R 2.15.3, and after an error about
it only being available for 3.0.0, I found my previously good-enough
devtools had disappeared. Here's how it happens:

$ R --quiet
> require(devtools)
Loading required package: devtools
pac> packageDescription("devtools")$Version
[1] "1.1"

$ R CMD INSTALL devtools_1.2.99.tar.gz
* installing to library
‘/nobackup/rowlings/RLibrary/R/i486-pc-linux-gnu-library/2.15’
ERROR: this R is version 2.15.3, package 'devtools' requires R >= 3.0
* removing ‘/nobackup/rowlings/RLibrary/R/i486-pc-linux-gnu-library/2.15/devtools’

Oh well, I'll just carry on with the old...

$ R --quiet
> require(devtools)
Loading required package: devtools
Warning message:
In library(package, lib.loc = lib.loc, character.only = TRUE,
logical.return = TRUE,  :
  there is no package called ‘devtools’

 Oh gee thanks. 1.2.99 wouldn't install, so you zapped my otherwise
perfectly good 1.1?

 Feature? Bug? Fixed in 3.0.0 (can't see it in NEWS)?

Barry