[R-pkg-devel] Concern that reverse dependency checking currently unreliable

[J C Nash]

For the past few weeks I've been struggling to check a new version of optimx that gives
a major upgrade to the 2013 version currently on CRAN and subsumes several other packages.

It seems to work fine, and pass Win-builder, R CMD check etc.

However, both devtools and cran reverse dependency checks give multiple errors when
run through their respective special commands. Mostly the packages using optimx are
failing to install or otherwise stop (wrong testthat version etc.). When I check
manually (if package installs) that package XXX passes R CMD check with new
optimx installed, it invariably does. The automated checks -- given that optimx
is widely used -- take several hours per try.

Since it "fails" the cran reverse check, I'm not getting by the pre-test for cran
submission. CRAN maintainers have not responded, likely because they are swamped.

So I'm wondering if there is something amiss with either the checking tools or,
more likely, that the upgrade to R 3.5 has put some wrinkles in the package collection,
and, in particular, what I should do to provide the new package. I am rather
reluctant to join the growing crowd on github, but may have to if CRAN cannot
be updated.

Ideas welcome.

John Nash