[Rd] binary R packages for GNU/Linux

[Simon Urbanek]

> On Feb 11, 2025, at 5:23 AM, Dirk Eddelbuettel <edd using debian.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> On 10 February 2025 at 07:35, Carl Boettiger wrote:
> | Great discussion.  
> | 
> | Just to note another example I don't think was mentioned -- The r-universe
> | project also builds binaries for Linux (Ubuntu latest) https://
> | docs.r-universe.dev/install/binaries.html (as well as other targets including
> | wasm).  It also provides binaries for Bioconductor and packages on any
> | git-based version control platform (e.g. GitHub).  
> 
> Yes ... but these are 'naked' binaries as created by 'R CMD INSTALL --build'
> but without system integration (and as such mirror what p3m.dev does). This
> has its merits (it is simpler, can cover more OS variants) but it is also
> more limited.
> 
> What we (ie Detlef, Inaki, myself) myself do for the distros is fundamentally
> different. Both are merits, both can coexist, but I like the added 'oomph'
> you get by integrating properly with the distribution you deploy on.  Ubuntu
> is a pretty useful base case.
> 


In case it wasn't clear - precisely this was my point, and I was counting on all those doing the hard work already like Dirk to speak up (thanks, Dirk and Iñaki). I'm not convinced that "naked" binaries are that useful, so just creating a new subdirectory isn't a solution IMHO. It works for some cases, but not in general - many can build their specific binaries, but it doesn't mean they work for others. The real work has to be done by people that have experience like Dirk and others mentioned above, not CRAN. Any such binaries are tied to the R build (just like macOS CRAN R sets its platform/arch target so it can use the CRAN binaries), so it requires cooperation across the spectrum including the distros. That said, the Linux maintainers are certainly invited to liaise with CRAN if they think it would be beneficial to host things on CRAN - we have done in the past, but with the explosion of distros and releases the trend was to go do the distros instead.

Cheers,
Simon