R SIG Debian - Mar 2016 - Dependency failures on installing older R packages in Ubuntu

>
>apt is telling you that is has 3.2.3. Why don't you not use it?
>
>We are volunteers. We do promise that you can install ANY combinations of
>ALL
>packages at ANY time.  We work hard to give you the current packages,
>reliably.
>
>Dirk
We are operating an R server in a business production environment, and
thus we wish to maintain package stability.  I understand you are
volunteers, and thank you for your efforts.  Since the previous versions
of these packages are available on your repository, I mistakenly thought
you intended there to be backward compatibility.

Thank-you for your prompt response.

Jordan
>

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On 23 February 2016 at 16:58, Jordan Dawe wrote:
| We are operating an R server in a business production environment, and
| thus we wish to maintain package stability.  I understand you are
| volunteers, and thank you for your efforts.  Since the previous versions
| of these packages are available on your repository, I mistakenly thought
| you intended there to be backward compatibility.

That is not an uncommon request and you may get commerical support from
some.

Your main problem is going to be one of consistency: so you think an old R
version is better, fine.  but what about CRAN?  Do you only take old matching
versions -- install.packages() etc all assume 'current R' Revolution
(now
part of Microsoft) has a 'time machine' feature in MRAN where you can
snapshot. 

I generally think that 'current' is best but that won't help you
here.

Cheers, Dirk

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

On Tue, 23 Feb 2016 16:58:20 +0000, Jordan Dawe wrote:

>>apt is telling you that is has 3.2.3. Why don't you not use it?
>>
>>We are volunteers. We do promise that you can install ANY combinations
>>of ALL packages at ANY time.  We work hard to give you the current
>>packages, reliably.
>>
>>Dirk
> 
> We are operating an R server in a business production environment, and
> thus we wish to maintain package stability.  I understand you are
> volunteers, and thank you for your efforts.  Since the previous versions
> of these packages are available on your repository, I mistakenly thought
> you intended there to be backward compatibility.
> 
> Thank-you for your prompt response.
> 
> Jordan
>>
>>
> 
> This email and any information disclosed in connection herewith, whether
> written or oral, is the property of EnerNOC, Inc. and is intended only
> for the person or entity to which it is addressed.
> This email may contain information that is privileged, confidential or
> otherwise protected from disclosure.
> Distributing or copying any information contained in this email to
> anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited.
You can install R of the given version by installing only `r-base-
core=3.1.3-1precise2`.

Example:

#---------------------------------------------------------
$ sudo aptitude versions ^r-base-core$
i   2.14.1-1                                                      precise
...
p   3.1.3-1precise2                                               precise
...
p   3.2.3-4precise0                                               precise

$ sudo aptitude install r-base-core=3.1.3-1precise2
#---------------------------------------------------------


It will be sufficient to have R working. All further packages can be then 
complied separately.



-- 
Regards. Alexey.

On 17 March 2016 at 13:56, Alexey Zaharov wrote:
| On Tue, 23 Feb 2016 16:58:20 +0000, Jordan Dawe wrote:
| >>apt is telling you that is has 3.2.3. Why don't you not use it?
| >>
| >>We are volunteers. We do promise that you can install ANY combinations
| >>of ALL packages at ANY time.  We work hard to give you the current
| >>packages, reliably.

I was actually half-wrong here, see below.

| > We are operating an R server in a business production environment, and
| > thus we wish to maintain package stability.  I understand you are
| > volunteers, and thank you for your efforts.  Since the previous versions
| > of these packages are available on your repository, I mistakenly thought
| > you intended there to be backward compatibility.
| > 
| > Thank-you for your prompt response.
| > 
| > Jordan
|
| You can install R of the given version by installing only `r-base-
| core=3.1.3-1precise2`.
| 
| Example:
| 
| #---------------------------------------------------------
| $ sudo aptitude versions ^r-base-core$
| i   2.14.1-1                                                      precise
| ...
| p   3.1.3-1precise2                                               precise
| ...
| p   3.2.3-4precise0                                               precise
| 
| $ sudo aptitude install r-base-core=3.1.3-1precise2
| #---------------------------------------------------------
| 
| It will be sufficient to have R working. All further packages can be then 
| complied separately.

True, and good point.

Another useful thing to keep in mind is that e.g. Debian has its own
'wayback' machines and now archives packages.  So if you insist on
'partying
like its 1999' and want to maintain/reconstruct an environment exactly as it
was, this can be of help:

     http://snapshot.debian.org/

I am not sure if Ubuntu does though.

Dirk

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