R devel - Jan 2017 - cross-platform portable code in CRAN Repository Policy

Hello,

I'm trying to submit my package to CRAN. When I read the policy, it says:
Package authors should make all reasonable efforts to provide
cross-platform portable code. Packages will not normally be accepted
that do not run on at least two of the major R platforms.

What major R platforms does this policy refer to?
Currently, my package runs in Ubuntu. If it works on both Ubuntu and
Redhat, does it count as two platforms?

Thanks,
Da

On 27/01/2017 4:28 PM, Da Zheng wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm trying to submit my package to CRAN. When I read the policy, it
says:
> Package authors should make all reasonable efforts to provide
> cross-platform portable code. Packages will not normally be accepted
> that do not run on at least two of the major R platforms.
>
> What major R platforms does this policy refer to?
> Currently, my package runs in Ubuntu. If it works on both Ubuntu and
> Redhat, does it count as two platforms?
No, those are both Linux.  Try to get it to run on Windows and Mac OS as 
well (and if possible, Solaris).

If you don't have access to Windows, submit it to
win-builder.r-project.org for testing.  Mac OS and Solaris are currently 
harder to test without setting up your own local systems.  Maybe someone 
else will report on available test systems for those platforms.

Duncan Murdoch

> On Jan 27, 2017, at 3:28 PM, Da Zheng <zhengda1936 at gmail.com>
wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I'm trying to submit my package to CRAN. When I read the policy, it
says:
> Package authors should make all reasonable efforts to provide
> cross-platform portable code. Packages will not normally be accepted
> that do not run on at least two of the major R platforms.
> 
> What major R platforms does this policy refer to?
> Currently, my package runs in Ubuntu. If it works on both Ubuntu and
> Redhat, does it count as two platforms?
> 
> Thanks,
> Da

Hi,

A couple of comments:

1. For future reference, this query would have been better sent to
R-Package-Devel, which is focused on this topic:

  https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-package-devel


2. "Major platforms" would typically refer to Linux, Windows and
macOS. So Ubuntu and RH would be within Linux as a single platform.


Regards,

Marc Schwartz

On Fri, Jan 27, 2017 at 9:28 PM, Da Zheng <zhengda1936 at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm trying to submit my package to CRAN. When I read the policy, it
says:
> Package authors should make all reasonable efforts to provide
> cross-platform portable code. Packages will not normally be accepted
> that do not run on at least two of the major R platforms.
>
> What major R platforms does this policy refer to?
>
Linux, macOS, Windows.

> Currently, my package runs in Ubuntu. If it works on both Ubuntu and
> Redhat, does it count as two platforms?
>
I think that Linux is just one. Is it hard to make it work on macOS?

I am not saying that if it is Linux-only then it definitely cannot make it
to CRAN.
A CRAN maintainer will decide that.

Gabor

>
> Thanks,
> Da
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-devel at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>
	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

On 27 January 2017 at 21:54, G?bor Cs?rdi wrote:
| On Fri, Jan 27, 2017 at 9:28 PM, Da Zheng <zhengda1936 at gmail.com>
wrote:
| > What major R platforms does this policy refer to?
| >
| 
| Linux, macOS, Windows.
| 
| 
| > Currently, my package runs in Ubuntu. If it works on both Ubuntu and
| > Redhat, does it count as two platforms?
| >
| 
| I think that Linux is just one. Is it hard to make it work on macOS?
| 
| I am not saying that if it is Linux-only then it definitely cannot make it
| to CRAN.
| A CRAN maintainer will decide that.

Gabor is *way* too modest here to not mention the *fabulous* tool he has
written (with the [financial] support of the R Consortium):  R Hub.

These days I just do    'rhub::check_for_cran()'   and four tests launch
covering the three required OSs as well as the required r-devel and r-release
versions.  Results tickle in within minutes by mail; the windows one (which
is slowest) is also display.  You need a one-time token handshake.

I strongly recommend the service.

Dirk

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