R devel - Sep 2014 - install.packages misleads about package availability?

In the context of installing a Bioconductor package using our biocLite() 
function, install.packages() warns

 > install.packages("RUVSeq",
repos="http://bioconductor.org/packages/2.14/bioc")
Installing package into
'/home/mtmorgan/R/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu-library/3.1-2.14'
(as 'lib' is unspecified)
Warning message:
package 'RUVSeq' is not available (for R version 3.1.1 Patched)

but really the problem is that the package is not available at the specified 
repository (it is available, for the same version of R, in the Bioc devel 
repository http://bioconductor.org/packages/3.0/bioc).

I can see the value of identifying the R version, and see that mentioning 
something about 'specified repositories' would not necessarily be
helpful. Also,
since the message is translated and our user base is international, it is 
difficult to catch and process by the biocLite() script.

Is there a revised wording that could be employed to more accurately convey the 
reason for the failure, or is this an opportunity to use the condition system?

Index: src/library/utils/R/packages2.R
==================================================================---
src/library/utils/R/packages2.R	(revision 66562)
+++ src/library/utils/R/packages2.R	(working copy)
@@ -46,12 +46,12 @@
      p0 <- unique(pkgs)
      miss <-  !p0 %in% row.names(available)
      if(sum(miss)) {
-	warning(sprintf(ngettext(sum(miss),
-				 "package %s is not available (for %s)",
-				 "packages %s are not available (for %s)"),
-			paste(sQuote(p0[miss]), collapse=", "),
-			sub(" *\\(.*","", R.version.string)),
-                domain = NA, call. = FALSE)
+        txt <- ngettext(sum(miss), "package %s is not available (for
%s)",
+                        "packages %s are not available (for %s)")
+        msg <- simpleWarning(sprintf(txt, paste(sQuote(p0[miss]),
collapse=", "),
+                                     sub(" *\\(.*","",
R.version.string)))
+        class(msg) <- c("packageNotAvailable", class(msg))
+	 warning(msg)
          if (sum(miss) == 1L &&
              !is.na(w <- match(tolower(p0[miss]),
                                tolower(row.names(available))))) {

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>>>>> Martin Morgan <mtmorgan at fhcrc.org>
>>>>>     on Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:49:31 -0700 writes:
    > In the context of installing a Bioconductor package using our
biocLite()
    > function, install.packages() warns

    >> install.packages("RUVSeq",
repos="http://bioconductor.org/packages/2.14/bioc")
    > Installing package into
'/home/mtmorgan/R/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu-library/3.1-2.14'
    > (as 'lib' is unspecified)
    > Warning message:
    > package 'RUVSeq' is not available (for R version 3.1.1 Patched)

    > but really the problem is that the package is not available at the
specified
    > repository (it is available, for the same version of R, in the Bioc
devel
    > repository http://bioconductor.org/packages/3.0/bioc).

    > I can see the value of identifying the R version, and see that
mentioning
    > something about 'specified repositories' would not necessarily
be helpful. Also,
    > since the message is translated and our user base is international, it
is
    > difficult to catch and process by the biocLite() script.

    > Is there a revised wording that could be employed to more accurately
convey the
    > reason for the failure, or is this an opportunity to use the condition
system?

    > Index: src/library/utils/R/packages2.R
    > ==================================================================   
> --- src/library/utils/R/packages2.R	(revision 66562)
    > +++ src/library/utils/R/packages2.R	(working copy)
    > @@ -46,12 +46,12 @@
    > p0 <- unique(pkgs)
    > miss <-  !p0 %in% row.names(available)
    > if(sum(miss)) {
    > -	warning(sprintf(ngettext(sum(miss),
    > -				 "package %s is not available (for %s)",
    > -				 "packages %s are not available (for %s)"),
    > -			paste(sQuote(p0[miss]), collapse=", "),
    > -			sub(" *\\(.*","", R.version.string)),
    > -                domain = NA, call. = FALSE)
    > +        txt <- ngettext(sum(miss), "package %s is not
available (for %s)",
    > +                        "packages %s are not available (for
%s)")
    > +        msg <- simpleWarning(sprintf(txt, paste(sQuote(p0[miss]),
collapse=", "),
    > +                                     sub("
*\\(.*","", R.version.string)))
    > +        class(msg) <- c("packageNotAvailable",
class(msg))
    > +	 warning(msg)
    > if (sum(miss) == 1L &&
    > !is.na(w <- match(tolower(p0[miss]),
    > tolower(row.names(available))))) {

Yes, I think this would be a fine example and the first one in
"base R" AFAIK of using the condition system by sub classing.

The fact that you cannot check for the warning/error message *text* in
your own tryCatch() or similar  because of internationalization
and hence translation had bitten other people before... and I am
sure is still wrongly used also in package land.. where the bug
never triggers as long as testing is done in the C or an 'en' locale.

How would your  biocLite()  be adapted to use "packageNotAvailable" ?

Martin Maechler, ETH Zurich