[R-pkgs] bit, bit64, ff and greeNsort

[Jens Oehlschlägel]

Dear package maintainers,

Dear users of packages `bit`, `bit64`, `ff`,

Everyone interested in sustainable sorting algorithms,

I submitted updated versions for the upcoming R 4.5.0. The are only 
minor changes (see the NEWS files) but there is one important change in 
bit64:

     o setting options(integer64_semantics="new")
       gives the better semantics suggested by Ofek Shilon.
       Downstream package authors: please test and adjust to the new 
semantics,
       we plan to make that the default.

After 25 years volunteer work for the R community, that was my last 
combined submission for packages `bit`, `bit64` and `ff`.

I learned S+ in 1996 and supported R's 1.0 release in 2000 with bug 
testing, a small code contribution to `pairs` and motivating the 
core-team to replace 'NA' with NA_character_.

In 2007 Daniel Adler and I published `ff`: the first R package allowing 
big out of memory data.frames was a nail in the coffin of SAS dominance 
and helped R into the big data era.

2009 and 2012 followed `bit`, `bit64` to enhance R's data types somewhat 
with `bit` vectors and signed `integer64`. Package `bit` supported 
efficient selection in `ff`. Package `bit64` was an emergency 
development in order to establish rather `integer64' than another 
`int64` package that had too expensive performance.

Since 2011 I work for an employer that does not use R, and maintenance 
of R packages is a little rewarded burden.

Since 2010 my priorities shifted to fighting global heating by 
developing more sustainable sorting algorithms that provide better 
trade-offs between memory investments, compute costs and adaptivity to 
easier input patterns. My R&D project was successfully completed 2024 
with theory and design of new symmetric sorting algorithms that can 
replace Quicksort, Mergesort and Timsort. Lots of info at greeNsort.org. 
I have an R package `greeNsort` on github with a research testbed that 
can measure RAM, CPU and RAPL energy for ≈150 equally tuned sorting 
algorithms on multiple test patterns.

Since 24.2.2022 my priorities are on strengthening resilience of 
European civil society.

Hence I happily accept the generous offer of Michael Chirico to carry 
forward the maintenance of packages `bit` and `bit64`. Please support 
him in the difficult task of developing very close to the core as a 
normal package author.

I will continue bug-fixing `ff` as time permits, although a modern C++ 
rewrite would be preferable, which

1) supports long vectors

2) avoids copying between Mapped Memory and R's memory

3) simplifies the package, particularly removes the "virtual window" 
complexity

All the best


Jens Oehlschlägel