tl;dr: I propose that we remove R from our standard packages and
encourage people to install it separately.
Long version: What in Sage uses R to provide Sage functionality? Or do
we include the R package just because it's a cool open-source package
that lots of people use? If so, why do we not include octave---it's
also a cool open-source package that lots of people use.
I tried searching the source for instances of rpy---which would indicate
we were using R through the rpy or rpy2 python module, and none of these
references are actually using R.:
% grep -rl rpy
interfaces/ecm.py
rings/integer.c
rings/integer.pyx
rings/real_double.c
rings/real_double.pyx
rings/real_mpfr.c
rings/real_mpfr.pyx
stats/test.py
The current work on R in Sage seems to be happening here:
http://trac.sagemath.org/ticket/14706. On that post, it is summarized that:
a) Having an up-to-date R is a sine qua non to get answers from R Core.
b) R in Sage is rarely up to date (more talented Sage developers work on
more important issues).
c) Therefore, R-in-Sage users have trouble communicating with R Core
d) I am able to create "drop-in replacements" of the R spkg, thus giving
R-in-Sage users an up-to-date R, thus allowing them to get answers from
R Core...
e) Since this is routine work that few people seem to tackle, and since
it is in my limited ability range, I'll try to do it after R upstream
upgrades.
That ticket notes a bunch of work, mainly (it seems) dealing with
problems compiling R in Sage's environment, but ending in positive
review now with a current version of R. So soon (in 5.13) we'll once
again have an up-to-date R. However, upstream R is a very active
project that has frequent releases that build on major platforms (more
platforms than we build on, like Windows). I'm wondering---would the
people working on that ticket prefer to work on other things (if we
interfaced nicely with a system R), or do they truly want R installed as
part of Sage?
I propose that we remove R from the standard packages, and instead
encourage people to install R separately. I think we should keep the
rpy2 python module in the standard packages to be able to interface
easily with an already-installed R.
Votes?
Thanks,
Jason
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