[Bioc-devel] Bioc-devel Digest, Vol 39, Issue 13

I am in favor of using the standard HDF support for large data objects. It 
has cure machisms for in/out memory shuffling. -Simon

Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:26:12 +0800
From: "Laurent Gautier" <lgautier at gmail.com>
Subject: [Bioc-devel] "external" R objects
To: Bioc-devel at stat.math.ethz.ch
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<27d1e6020706272326i1b075ac2t190f20caa9e14aa1 at mail.gmail.com>
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Hi,

The package externalVector has been a successful early attempt
at providing a template for packages defining (and using) data
structures defined as "external" to an R session.

For example it is possible to have things like:
- in-memory vectors that are "external" to R pass-by-value mechanism
(and )
- vectors that do not reside in-memory (but for example in a file),
but that can be used transparently just (almost) like any regular
in-memory R vector.

However there have been subsequent changes in R, and unfortunately
"externalVector" is no longer working with a current release of R.

We would like to hear from developers where "external" vector would
help them, so we can work on defining a scope for the package.

Thanks,



Laurent