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Upgrade through the R interface?

4 messages · Duncan Murdoch, stephen sefick, Alexandre Aguiar

stephen sefick
# 
Why can we not update R through a update.version() command from within
R?  This may be my ignorance about how software distribution works,
but I was interested.
Duncan Murdoch
#
On 3/31/2009 9:37 AM, stephen sefick wrote:
Because nobody has contributed such a function.

There are a few tricky issues in writing it:  generally packages need 
updating as well if the X or Y in version X.Y.Z changes, and new updates 
for some may not be available.  As well, on some platforms, files can't 
be replaced while in use; e.g. on Windows, you'd probably need to shut 
down R before it could be replaced.

So I think it could be done on Windows and probably on other platforms 
too, but it would take a fair bit of work to implement.  You just need 
to find someone who has spare time on their hands to do it (or do it 
yourself, or hire someone, ....)

Duncan Murdoch
stephen sefick
# 
I was just curious.  For  a couple of times a year building from the
sources doesn't make this a super high priority for me to write such a
function (assuming I have the skills to do this anyway) as the core
team makes it quite easy to just download whatever I need.
Thanks for all of the help,

Stephen Sefick
On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 9:58 AM, Duncan Murdoch <murdoch at stats.uwo.ca> wrote:

  
    

      
      
    

  


  


      

    

    

      
      

        


  

        

      Alexandre Aguiar
    

    

      
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Hi.

Em Ter?a 31 Mar?o 2009, stephen sefick escreveu:

            

      
      
      
    

        
I use a bash script 
[http://asaguiar.med.br/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=41] that 
checks for availability of upgrades and, if it is the case, downloads, 
compiles and install the newest R version. It could be run from within R. 
The exit values of interest are 100 (uptodate) and 0 (successful install). 
All other values are errors codes that correspond to the steps the script 
performs: system checks (1), download (2), decompression (3), configure (4), 
compilation (5), install (6).

The dowloadable version (url above) needs some minor configuration changes 
in variables.

Best wishes.


Alexandre