R SIG Debian - Aug 2021 - Configure error: checking if libcurl supports https... no

Rolf,

Asking here is the Right Thing (TM) but I am in at this moment between two
differen things (one of them being dinner...) so I have to come back to this
but regarding
> Package libcurl-dev is a virtual package provided by:
>   libcurl4-openssl-dev 7.68.0-1ubuntu2.6
>   libcurl4-nss-dev 7.68.0-1ubuntu2.6
>   libcurl4-gnutls-dev 7.68.0-1ubuntu2.6
> You should explicitly select one to install.
I have also found that confusing. I somewhat recently helped a very motivated
undergrad getting an R package working which required a (available for
Ubuntu, good thing there) library which itself libcurl4-gnutls-dev. I happen
to have libcurl4-openssl-dev installed and they don't coexist ... so I opted
to doing that work with the undergrad in a Docker environment.

Long story short, I would suggest trying to see if you can work with / can
get what you need adjusted to libcurl4-openssl-dev.   On my Ubuntu (21.04)
system:

  edd at rob:~$ apt-cache rdepends libcurl4-openssl-dev | wc -l
  22
  edd at rob:~$ apt-cache rdepends libcurl4-gnutls-dev | wc -l
  45
  edd at rob:~$

So maybe my preference is on the wrong side of the tracks too. I don't fully
understand why these cannot coexist...

Dirk

-- 
https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com | @eddelbuettel | edd at debian.org

On Sat, 28 Aug 2021 19:55:12 -0500
Dirk Eddelbuettel <edd at debian.org> wrote:
> 
> Rolf,
> 
> Asking here is the Right Thing (TM) but I am in at this moment
> between two differen things (one of them being dinner...) so I have
> to come back to this ...
<SNIP>

Thanks Dirk.  I might try removing libcurl4-gnutls-dev again,
and installing libcurl4-openssl-dev again, while I'm waiting to hear
more from you.  Don't like my chances, but.
> So maybe my preference is on the wrong side of the tracks too. I
> don't fully understand why these cannot coexist...
Sheesh!  If *you* don't understand, what hope is there for the rest of
us, me in particular?

cheers,

Rolf


-- 
Honorary Research Fellow
Department of Statistics
University of Auckland
Phone: +64-9-373-7599 ext. 88276