This blog is updated daily.
A general description is here.
The graphics engine version, ‘R_GE_version’, has been bumped to ‘16’ and so packages that provide graphics devices should be reinstalled.
The ‘grDevices’ and ‘grid’ packages have new functions for rendering typeset glyphs, primarily: ‘grDevices::glyphInfo()’ and ‘grid::grid.glyph()’.
Rendering of typeset glyphs is only supported so far on the Cairo-based graphics devices and on the ‘pdf()’ device.
(Windows) The default C++ standard had accidentally been left at C++11
when it was changed to C++14 on Unix. It is now C++14, as documented.
The default C++ standard has been changed to C++17 where available (which it is on all currently checked platforms): if not C++14 is used if available otherwise C++ is not supported.
‘configure’ is now passed crucial variables such as ‘CC’ and ‘CFLAGS’ in its environment, as many packages were not setting them (as documented in ‘Writing R Extensions’ §1.2, and settings there will take precedence).
This has most effect where ‘configure’ is used to compile parts of the package - most often by ‘cmake’ which obscures the actual compile commands used.
Also used for ‘configure.win’ and ‘configure.ucrt’ on Windows.
Where recorded at installation, ‘R CMD check’ reports the C and Fortran compilers used to build R.
It reports the OS in use (if known, as given by ‘osVersion’) as well as that R was built for.
It notes if a C++ standard was specified which is older than the current default: many packages have used C++11 to mean ‘not C++98’ - as C++11 is the mininum supported since R 4.0.0, that specification can probably be removed.
‘R CMD INSTALL’ reports the compilers (and on macOS, the SDK) used, and this is copied to the output of ‘R CMD check’.
Where q C++ standard is specified, it is reported.
Fix for possible segfault when using recently-added graphics features, such as gradients, clipping paths, masks, and groups with ‘pdf(file=NULL)’.
(Windows) The default C++ standard had accidentally been left at C++11 when it was changed to C++14 on Unix.