Roel Janssen <r...@gnu.org> writes: > myglc2 writes: > >> Pjotr Prins <pjotr.publi...@thebird.nl> writes: >> >>> On Sun, Jul 31, 2016 at 01:49:00PM -0400, myglc2 wrote: >>> >>>> Guix has marvelous raw tools to do anything. The question is how to make >>>> it simple enough for someone that is basically an R user to take >>>> advantage of them. The challenge in guix R packaging is to consider R >>>> patterns of use and determine how guix packate R to support them in a >>>> way that is accessible to typical R users. >>> >>> What you need is a 'managed' environment for your users. My suggestion >>> is not to give guix daemon access to those users. Use Unix modules - >>> which I have packaged - to point them to a prepared profile. When they >>> want to use R, just make a profile. All modules do is set the PATHS, >>> as Roel described. Technology older than the Linux kernel :/ >>> >>> The 'manager' is the only one who will upgrade and test software to >>> run. That way you can do controlled upgrades. You can even have >>> multiple modules for different R's. >> >> I imagine that, in the spirit of guix, we also want a user to be able to >> "help themself" instead of depending on a 'manager.' This would probably >> require an additional R "package manager component" that is usable by a >> manager or user. Such a thing would certainly showcase the unique >> capabilities of guix. > > And users can! The "software manager" can provide "supported" profiles, > and the users can still create their own software environment. Then > when things break, users are one command away from switching to a > working environment (provided by the manager). This safety net provides > a confidence to play around even more.. > > The software manager can install packages from his own custom recipes, > separate from whatever `guix pull' provides by setting the > GUIX_PACKAGE_PATH variable. Users do not need to know about it, if they > don't want to.
Yes I get that it is possible now... but I feel strongly that the typical R user will be overwhealmed by the guix "wheels and levers". So I resort to fantasizing a mythical additional guix-specific component, an 'R "package manager component"'. The idea is to exploit guix capabilities to make this much more tractable for an average R user and much more convenient for the sysadmin in charge of providing support to R users. Such an 'R "package manager component"' would make the argument for guix isntallation very compelling for medical research labs.
