[github actions] explicit installation of R in ubuntu-latest (instead of version pinning)

[martin-raden]

Hi,

I suggest to trigger an explicit installation of R via the respective R setup action instead of pinning an old Ubuntu.

Works for my derived carpentries.

Best,
Martin

[github-actions]

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[martin-raden]

it seems some of the R-related actions are not ready for 24.04 and have hardcoded checks for at max 22.04 ... 🤔

[froggleston]

Yes, we have had to pin ubuntu as the latest image no longer has R built in by default. Installing it across all our runners will add a significant time cost to builds, and as such we want to avoid that. I acknowledge this will have to be addressed in future, but for now, 22.04 is the most suitable option for CI builds.

Ubuntu 22.04 standard support runs until April 2027, so I'm confident this is suitable until 24.04 becomes a better option. 24.04 is rife with other problems, and it's well known it is not up to the usual release standard. As such, waiting until at least 2026 before we address this seems sensible.

[martin-raden]

👍