[R-sig-Debian] Regarding R_LIBS_USER
Dirk Eddelbuettel
edd at debian.org
Thu Jul 6 10:42:56 CEST 2017
Pavel,
Your tone does not exactly help in this discussion.
Briefly, I (like many other people) consider Linux and Unix to be
multi-user systems. You can argue as passionately for a default
installation in /usr/loca/lib/R/site-library as you did against. And
some of your arguments are just silly ("dangerous group": dude, it is
one 'sudo addgroup r-adm' [or anotther name...]) away).
I have used such settings (such as un-setting R_LIBS_USER or its
predecessors) for over a decade, it just works (if you give write
permissions). It clearly helps us at work because everybody sees by
the default the same packages. I have also spoken with different R
Core members and several find the default installation below $HOME and
in a versioned directory less than ideal as well. But it ensures
writeability. Which I cannot do easily from the package.
So maybe the change was too abrupt, and I think I may revert it. I
generally prefer for packagers like myself to not divert from upstream
unless they have good reasom or are unintrusive (and eg the added
tab-completion we have here is both). But leaving newbies without
installable directories is bad, as is possibly hiding existing
installations.
I am a little pressed for time (at useR!) and system (main server is
ill, as is backup machine) but I should get a 3.4.1-2 out.
I'd welcome other comments, for or against.
Dirk
--
Three out of two people have difficulties with fractions.
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