[R-sig-Debian] "Debain" way of installing packages

[Dirk Eddelbuettel]

Howdy,

On 26 April 2005 at 12:11, Gorjanc Gregor wrote:
| > properly, which is why I think the high-end solution is to provide a robust
| > script, maybe with a db backend, that debianises what is on CRAN -- similar
| What do you mean by a db (I suppose databse) backend, that debianises ...?

Yes, to keep track of versions, of what has been packaged, of meta data as
e.g. mapping of package names between Debian and CRAN, of exceptions (CRAN is
somwhat more lenient with licenses) etc pp.  "Debianising" is stateful, so we
need memory. Flat files may well do for the time being before we switch to an
actual db (which may just be sqlite, ie a binary file as backend).

| If I understand you propose to debianize all R packages and then simply use
| apt-get. This would probably be the easisest way, however only if this is really
| achivable. My help on debianization can be very small since I have never tried
| to do that, but I am willing to learn and help.
| 
| If previous is true, you think that some sort script I proposed is not OK for
| mixing?

We actually have scripts that "work", they simply need testing, extending and
polishing. If you register yourself on alioth.d.o, you can check it out of
the archive and play with it.

| What is the case with Windows? Do you mean build of binary packages for Windows
| or what?

That was just an example as CRAN provides binaries for Windows. My medium to
longer-term vision is binaries for Debian and its derivative distros.

| > | One more thing. Why is r-noncran-lindsey and not r-other-lindsey?
| 
| > Because nobody pressed Chris hard enough to implement the change. I am sure
| > he would take a patch from you (hint, hint).
| >From words of Chris this doesn't seems to be needed, however I don't know what is
| the problem with that package from Lindsey.

I cannot speak for Chris, so if you want to help there, maybe you should talk
to him offline?

Cheers, Dirk

-- 
Better to have an approximate answer to the right question than a precise 
answer to the wrong question.  --  John Tukey as quoted by John Chambers