Installing R version 3.5.2

Support & Help Requests
1

Continuing the discussion from Failed to restart avahi-dnsconfd.service:

I remain flummoxed by the problem of installing R version 3.5.2 via apt-get install. No matter what I do, the version of R that comes up is 3.5.1.

I’ve tried:

  • removing /usr/lib/R
    (and then doing the apt-get install of r-base)

  • doing apt remove r-base (and then re-doing
    sudo apt-get install r-base)

  • doing a “make uninstall” (and then re-doing
    sudo apt-get install r-base)

Nothing has any effect.

I also tried to use the “checkinstall” suggestion. I thought
I might be able to re-install version 3.5.1 from source using checkinstall, then remove it, using apt remove, and then
re-do the sudo apt-get install r-base.

However checkinstall gives a warning:

  *** Warning: The package version "3.5.1
  (great long string of 3.5.1s, one per line, then)
  3.5.1" is not a
  *** Warning: debian policy compliant one. Please specify
 an  alternate one

I tried typing in “r-base” and things seemed to run, but
then at the end it crashed with a question about whether
I wanted to see the log file; the log file said:

error in 'Version' field string 'r-base-1': version number
does not start with a digit

I have no idea what I should be saying here. Can you give me
a recipe? Thanks.

2

Since you installed R from source you have to use the R source build tools to fully remove that version.

Otherwise,

sudo apt purge r-base

should clean things up.

You may have to hunt down all of the various places that the R code was installed and delete them manually.

The R project maintains a secure PPA for the latest versions of R.

A .deb file for version 3.5.2 is in the PPA so if you follow the above instructions, after you clean all of the manually installed R from source, then you should be good to go.

djb

3

January 29

Since you installed R from source you have to use the R source build
tools to fully remove that version.

Otherwise,

sudo apt purge r-base|

should clean things up.

You may have to hunt down all of the various places that the R code was
installed and delete them manually.

The R project maintains a secure PPA for the latest versions of R.

A .deb file for version 3.5.2 is in the PPA so if you follow the above
instructions, after you clean all of the manually installed R from
source, then you should be good to go.

Well, I did my best to follow your instructions, but to no avail.

I did "whereis R" and then moved all of the relevant directories to a
storage directory that I created.

I then typed "R" and got, as expected, "R: Command not found."

I then did

 sudo apt purge r-base

and this appeared to work. Next I did

 sudo apt update

and this seemed to run OK; lots of output, but no error messages.

Finally I did

 sudo apt-get install r-base

This too seemed to run without complaint. But when, after having done
this install, I typed "R" I again got "R: Command not found."

And typing "whereis R" produced "R:". I.e., nowhere.

There must be something else that I need to do. What is it?

4

Consider to follow my method on AskUbuntu line by line.
Your question is not MATE specific. If you have any problems - ask on AskUbuntu, I will follow there.