[CWB] rcqp removed from CRAN / long live RcppCWB

[Blätte, Andreas]

Dear Thilo,

thanks a lot for raising this issue that 'rcqp' has been archived at CRAN. When developing polmineR (https://github.com/PolMine/polmineR, on CRAN too), the scenario that 'rcqp' might be removed from CRAN was a nightmare I persistently had. 

Thus I had started to work on a follow-up to rcqp a while ago. In February, I finally made it to get RcppCWB published at CRAN: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/RcppCWB/index.html . 

The development version is available at GitHub (https://github.com/PolMine/RcppCWB/tree/dev) . Version 0.2.0 of RcppCWB (on the GitHub development branch) includes CQP functionality (v0.1.7 is limited to the corpus library / CL). Functions are name more consistently and package documentation is much better now. So if you want to have a look at RcppCWB right away, please consult the development version at GitHub.

One important aspect of RcppCWB is that its design creates the possibility to get the package work on Windows: On Windows, pre-combiled binaries of the corpus library (CL) and CQP (compiled as a static library) are downloaded, and Rcpp wrappers expose the functionality. On macOS / Linux, the original C code is compiled (CL / CQP as static libraries, then the Rcpp wrappers).

Last Friday, I have submitted RcppCWB v0.2.0 at CRAN and its publication is pending. Not having received an immediate response until today is a sign that the package passes automatic tests on CRAN servers. But the CRAN team is very careful that licenses are respected and that copyrights are not violated. Hard to say whether I have to rework in that respect.

My solution is that the original developers of the Corpus Worbench are acknowledged as contributors. (Thank you so much!!) The new RcppCWB version relies on modified code from 'rcqp', thus Bernard Desgraupes and Sylvain Loiseau are mentioned as package authors. On this occasion, I should really like to honor their very skillful work. If anybody on this list has a suggestion or remark, whether my attribution of contributions and authorship is appropriate, I will be very grateful.

Once RcppCWB v0.2.0 has made it to CRAN, I will switch the dependency of polmineR from rcqp to RcppCWB. It should make the installation of polmineR on Windows significantly easier than today. So RcppCWB really is a follow-up, not just a replacement. 

I would be happy if you want to have a look at RcppCWB. It is not perfect now. Every kind of issue you want to raise, or contribution you want to make is welcome!

Kind regards
Andreas



Am 12.03.18, 17:07 schrieb "cwb-bounces at sslmit.unibo.it im Auftrag von Thilo Wiertz" <cwb-bounces at sslmit.unibo.it im Auftrag von thilo.wiertz at geographie.uni-freiburg.de>:

    Dear all,
    
    I just realized that rcqp was removed from CRAN "for policy violation". Does anyone know details or has been in touch with the authors (if they are not themselves on this list)? It has not been maintained for a few years, but it works, I regularly use it, and it is a dependency of polmineR. While it is of course not necessary to have it on CRAN it surely makes it easier to find and install.
    
    Best
    Thilo
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