[R-pkg-devel] how to notify users of obsolete and new package

[Rolf Turner]

On Mon, 10 Feb 2025 21:55:07 +0000
Bernd.Gruber <Bernd.Gruber using canberra.edu.au> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I have a quick question. I have an older package (dartR) that is now
> superseded by a series of new packages.
> 
> Still we noticed that several users have not updated yet and moved to
> the new package. Hence the question:
> 
> Is it okay to submit a "shell" package under the name of the old
> package that does nothing else than telling the user to install the
> new package (and a link/code how to do that)?
> 
> There would only be one function which is updating some legacy data
> to a new format.
> 
> Is that accepted or is there another way to let user know (e.g. via
> the CRAN package pages)?
> 
> Thanks and regards, Bernd

I am sympathetic to the points made by Kevin Coombes, who has also
replied to you.  OTOH I am obsessive about redundancy and clutter.  So
I dunno.

Some while back I put a package "hse" (standing for "hope springs
eternal" 🙂️) up on CRAN.  Then later I wrote a paper about the ideas
implemented in hse.  A referee objected to the name, so I changed the
name to "dbd" ("discretised beta distribution").  But I left a skeleton
of hse on CRAN.  It just consists of the .onAttach() function.  If you
install and load hse you just get the message:

     This package, "hse" is now deprecated.   Users 
     should install and use its successor "dbd".

So far no-one has yelled at me ....  But maybe no-one ever used hse.

cheers,

Rolf Turner

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