[R-sig-Debian] using R-devel independently of sid packages

[Steffen Möller]

On 10/05/2011 12:06 AM, Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote:
> 
> On 4 October 2011 at 15:40, Sebastian P. Luque wrote:
> | Hi,
> | 
> | I'd like to run R-devel in a sid system that has the corresponding R
> | packages installed (most of them).  I'd be using this primarily for
> | testing how packages that I maintain would build and check there.  I
> | know this is available via http://www.r-project.org/nosvn/R.check, but
> | in some cases I need more control.  I thought I'd have R-devel trunk
> | live in /usr/local/src/R-devel, and then run it like:
> | 
> | R_LIBS_USER=/usr/local/lib/R-devel/site-library /usr/local/src/R-devel/bin/R
> | 
> | so that I can have packages built with R-devel in a different directory
> | from those that the Debian packages use (/usr/local/lib/R/site-library).
> | 
> | What is good Debianish practice for running R-devel with an independent
> | local library for it?
> 
> In essence, I do what you do:
> 
>  - keep r-devel from svn 
> 
>  - configure; make; make install it  to a directory in /usr/local/lib
> 
>  - keep the binaries out of the $PATH and use shell wrappers and variables
>    to launch it 
> 
> Not ideal, but gets the job done and I won't have time do anything fancier.
> If you wanted to, you could wrap the above into a local .deb package too.

If you decide to go for a package, you may want to have a look at the
gcc-snapshot package which basically installs itself to /usr/lib/gcc-snapshot.
So this would be much like /usr/lib/r-devel for you then, I presume. I do
not know if this is the most Debianish way to do it, or even if I like it,
but one gets used it it.

Cheers,

Steffen