[R-SIG-Mac] 64-bit packages and 32-bit R

[Richard R. Liu]

Thanks for the prompt reply.  Yes, I understand that I have just one package
and that I can start in in two modes.  If I launch R.app, R runs in 32-bit
mode; if R64.app, in 64-bit mode.

In 64-bit mode, it can happen that a package that I have installed while
running in 32-bit mode needs a 64-bit version.  Such a package is openNLP. 
Since posing the question I have in fact installed the 64-bit version.  In
that situation I encountered a Java heap space exception, which I have
reported elsewhere.  So I exited 64-bit R, and ran R.app (32-bit R).  The same
operation that encountered the heap space problem in 64-bit R ran without a
problem in 32-bit R, I am assuming with the 64-bit version of openNLP.

So I guess I must repose my question:  Will this always be the case?  That is,
will a 64-bit version of a package always run OK in 32-bit R?

Thanks,
Richard 

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:45:15 -0400, Simon Urbanek wrote
> On Oct 26, 2009, at 2:42 AM, Richard R. Liu wrote:
> 
> > I'm running R 2.9.2 build 5464 on OS X 10.5.8.  Having encountered  
> > memory allocation problems, I ran the problematic code in R64, the  
> > 64-bit version of the same build.  When I attempt to load openNLP I  
> > receive the error message that the 32-bit version that I had been  
> > using does not run in R64.
> >
> > I understand that there is a 64-bit version of openNLP, and that it  
> > installs in R64 without problems.  I am assuming, however, that  
> > packages installed by 32-bit R and those installed by 64-bit R land  
> > in the same place, because I can see the 32-bit packages in the  
> > package list of 64-bit R. So my question is, when I subsequently  
> > switch to R (32-bit), will 64-bit versions of packages run there?   
> > I'm trying to avoid constantly having to manually switch between 32-  
> > and 64-bit versions of packages.
> >
> 
> I'm assuming you're talking about the Leopard build -- in that case  
> both 32-bit and 64-bit are part parts of the same R and package --  
> they are not a 'different package'. Please read about sub- 
> architectures in R documentation to understand the details if you  
> desire, but you are not supposed to "switch" anything. The only  
> problems you can cause is to forget to upgrade your packages when 
> you  installed the Leopard build.
> 
> Cheers,
> Simon


--
Richard R. Liu
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Switzerland

Tel.:  +41 61 331 10 47
Email:  richard.liu at pueo-owl.ch