[R-sig-Debian] Dependency failures on installing older R packages in Ubuntu

[Michael Rutter]

On 02/22/2016 07:21 PM, Jordan Dawe wrote:
> I�ve been trying to install the CRAN Ubuntu r-base-3.1.2 package on Ubuntu 14.04, and I keep getting the following failure:
>
> ----------
>
> vagrant at default-ubuntu-1404:/etc$ sudo apt-get install r-base=3.1.2-*
>
> Reading package lists... Done
>
> Building dependency tree
>
> Reading state information... Done
>
> Selected version '3.1.2-1trusty0' (CRAN:14.04/trusty [all]) for 'r-base'
>
> Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
>
> requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
>
> distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
>
> or been moved out of Incoming.
>
> The following information may help to resolve the situation:
>
>
> The following packages have unmet dependencies:
>
>   r-base : Depends: r-recommended (= 3.1.2-1trusty0) but 3.2.3-6trusty0 is to be installed
>
>            Recommends: r-base-html but it is not going to be installed
>
>            Recommends: r-doc-html but it is not going to be installed
>
> E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
>
> ----------
>
>
> In my apt/sources I have the line
>
>
> deb     http://cran.fhcrc.org/bin/linux/ubuntu/ trusty/
>
>
> Any ideas?
>
>
> Jordan

Jordan,

I believe if you are going to install an older version or R, you need to 
specify that all the old packages need to be installed.  I would 
recommend pinning the all the r-base related packages that you need. 
Here is a link with information on pinning:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PinningHowto

Michael
-- 
Dr. Michael A. Rutter
Associate Professor of Statistics
Department Chair, Mathematics
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
4205 College Drive
Erie, PA 16563
http://math.bd.psu.edu/faculty/rutter
mar36 at psu.edu