Appendix G. Updating an R installation

As consumers, we take for granted that we can update a piece of software via a Check for Updates option. In chapter 1, I noted that the update.packages() function can be used to download and install the most recent version of a contributed package. Unfortunately, updating the R installation itself can be more complicated.

If you want to update an R installation from version 5.1.0 to 6.1.1, you must get creative. (As I write this, the current version is actually 3.1.1, but I want this book to appear hip and current for years to come.) Two methods are described here: an automated method using the installr package and a manual method that works on all platforms.

G.1. Automated installation (Windows only) ...

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