Bug 726698

Summary:	>=dev-lang/R-4.0 should set a new SLOT
Product:	Gentoo Linux	Reporter:	John Dough <phatboye>
Component:	Current packages	Assignee:	Gentoo Science Mathematics related packages <sci-mathematics>
Status:	RESOLVED WONTFIX
Severity:	normal	CC:	jstein, mjo
Priority:	Normal
Version:	unspecified
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Package list:		Runtime testing required:	---

Description John Dough 2020-06-01 19:09:16 UTC

I am a developer of a R package. Recently, the R core team released version 4 of the R programming environment. This version introduces changes to the core of the language that can cause incompatibly issues with code written in version 3.x and version 4.x. I am requesting that the package maintainer of dev-lang/R create ebuilds that allow for slotted installs of R versions 3 and 4 so that I may test my code using either environments on the same system at least until the transition period to R version 4.x has stabilized.

Comment 1 David Seifert gentoo-dev

2020-06-02 08:19:53 UTC

Honestly, I doubt this is worth the effort. SLOTing a package is a massive undertaking, and removing it is the same massive undertaking again.

Comment 2 Michael Orlitzky gentoo-dev

2020-06-22 22:05:22 UTC

I have to agree. dev-lang/R is already "drive-by" maintained as it is. There's no one willing/able to slot it, write the eselect module, and figure out how everything that depends on R would continue to work.

Comment 3 Michael Orlitzky gentoo-dev

2020-06-22 22:17:17 UTC

I should mention that the *best* way to resolve these sorts of problems is by creating Gentoo packages for the R stuff, as in bug 96600. That project is admittedly dead, but it's the right idea. If your R package had an ebuild, it could just depend on <dev-lang/R-4.0 until you are able to update it.