[Rd] Debate: Shall some of Microsoft R Open Code be ported to mainstream R?

[Cohn, Robert S]

I think the thing that is missing is a simple way for end users on windows to replace blas/lapack libraries with MKL-a package that you install that puts the libraries in the right place.

Microsoft provides something for their distro, but we don't have the equivalent if you get R from cran.


On 29 October 2017 at 22:01, Kenny Bell wrote:

| User here: incorporating Intel's MKL, as MRO does, would be a very welcome

| addition.

|

| I was an MRO user before and it improved my experience with medium data

| immensely.

|

| They did, however, leave behind bugs here and there, especially related to

| development with Rcpp, so I switched back to vanilla R.



With all due respect: You may miss something. MKL has always worked with 'Base R'.



As a point of reference and comparison, I set up a benchmarking and

comparison package _well over half a decade ago_ and while it never get fully

finished to the point of a submitted paper the vignette still stands---and

demonstrates that _dropping in MKL is a one-line operation_.



And always has been.  There may have been some license arbitrage: Intel was

an early investor in Revo, so MKL was pushed hard.  With GotoBLAS and later

OpenBLAS I cared less, but IIRC the license of MKL is a little simpler for

"mere use" now.



See  https://cloud.r-project.org/web/packages/gcbd/vignettes/gcbd.pdf  for more.



Hth,  Dirk


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