Many thanks for your detailed explanations/annotations. Adelchi
> On 28 Jul 2020, at 13:21, Dirk Eddelbuettel <e...@debian.org> wrote: > > > Hi Adelchi, > > On 28 July 2020 at 11:46, Adelchi Azzalini wrote: > | When I updated package mnormt to version 2.0.0 in June (now at 2.0.1), > | at the stage of --as-cran checking, there was a compilation error, > | which was overcome by setting the > | > | Depends: R (≥ 4.0.0) > | > | With this option, all worked fine. > | > | However, shortly afterwards, complaints started coming, > | either from users or from maintainers of packages making use of mnormt, > | because this high version dependence causes troubles to some people, > | such as those using Debian installations, currently at a much lower > | R version. > > You can point those users to a) the r-sig-debian list and b) the Debian > directory at CRAN as we have always had "backports" of the current R to older > Debian releases---thanks to the work by Johannes Ranke "backporting" whatever > my current Debian packages of R are. > > Moreover, you can also point them at `apt install r-cran-mnormt` -- I have > maintained your package within Debian since 2007 (!!) and continue to do so > giving Debian (and Ubuntu) users the choice between a distro binary and > installation from CRAN source. > > | At the time I select that dependence value, I relied on the fact that > | install.packages() selected the most recent suitable version of a package, > | given the existing R installation. I expected that people without > | R 4.0.0 would have the older version of mnormt, 1.5-7, installed. > | As my memory goes (and the memory of other people too), this was > | the working in the past, but apparently not any more. > > I don't think that is quite correct. The CRAN repo is always set up for the > currently released version, and may allow constraints such 'R (>= 4.0.0)' > imposing the current (major) release. > > There is no recent change in this behavior. > > | For instance, this is a passage from a specific user: > | > | "install.packages() used tp just install the most recent available > | for your current version of R. In the past it might have done just that, > | but that's clearly not the case currently." > > Yes and no. I don't think this correctly stated. `install.packages()` always > picks the most recent version, but this may also require running _the > current_ R release. I disagree about "not the case currently" -- no change > as stated above. > > | Can anyone clarify the reason of this (apparent? real?) change? > | ...and possibly indicate a way who people with lower R version (and perhaps > | limited R expertise) can install the older version of mnormt, 1.5-7, > | without much hassle? > > "Versioned" installs were never supported by `install.packages()`. > > But one could always download an older version to a local file, and point > install.packages() at that file (and setting 'repos=NULL'), or use `R CMD > INSTALL` directly. No change there either. > > Dirk > > -- > https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com | @eddelbuettel | e...@debian.org ______________________________________________ R-package-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel