[Rd] [RFC] A case for freezing CRAN

[Geoff Jentry]

> using the identical version of each CRAN package. The bioconductor
> project uses similar policies.

While I agree that this can be an issue, I don't think it is fair to 
compare CRAN to BioC. Unless things have changed, the latter has a more 
rigorous barrier to entry which includes buy in of various ideals (e.g. 
interoperability w/ other BioC packages, making use of BioC constructs, 
the official release cycle). All of that requires extra management 
overhead (read: human effort) which considering that CRAN isn't exactly 
swimming in spare cycles seems unlikely to happen.

It seems like one could set up a curated CRAN-a-like quite easily, 
advertise the heck out of it and let the "market" decide. That is, IMO, 
the beauty of open source.

-J