diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 1eda3f6..cbd0b48 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Package: sp
-Version: 1.6-1
+Version: 2.0-0
 Title: Classes and Methods for Spatial Data
 Authors@R: c(person("Edzer", "Pebesma", role = c("aut", "cre"),
 				email = "edzer.pebesma@uni-muenster.de"),
@@ -21,7 +21,11 @@ Description: Classes and methods for spatial
   data; the classes document where the spatial location information
   resides, for 2D or 3D data. Utility functions are provided, e.g. for
   plotting data as maps, spatial selection, as well as methods for
-  retrieving coordinates, for subsetting, print, summary, etc.
+  retrieving coordinates, for subsetting, print, summary, etc. From this
+  version, evolution status is set to '2L' using 'sf' in place of 'rgdal',
+  see <https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html> for details.
+  Retiring packages 'maptools', 'rgdal' and 'rgeos' will be dropped by
+  October 2023.
 License: GPL (>= 2)
 URL: https://github.com/edzer/sp/ https://edzer.github.io/sp/
 BugReports: https://github.com/edzer/sp/issues
diff --git a/R/AAA.R b/R/AAA.R
index 7c1535a..db42a8e 100644
--- a/R/AAA.R
+++ b/R/AAA.R
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ assign("PolypathRule", "winding", envir = .spOptions)
 assign("col.regions", bpy.colors(), envir = .spOptions)
 assign("thin_PROJ6_warnings", FALSE, envir=.spOptions)
 assign("PROJ6_warnings_count", 0L, envir=.spOptions)
-assign("evolution_status", 0L, envir=.spOptions)
+assign("evolution_status", 2L, envir=.spOptions) # default changed 2.0-0
+assign("startup_message", "load", envir=.spOptions) 
 
 #.sp_CRS_cache <- new.env(FALSE, globalenv())
 #assign("CRS_CACHE", list(), envir=.sp_CRS_cache)
@@ -18,8 +19,16 @@ assign("evolution_status", 0L, envir=.spOptions)
 
 .onLoad <- function(lib, pkg) {
   load_stuff()
+  if (get("startup_message", envir=.spOptions) == "load")
+    smess_func()
 }
 
+.onAttach <- function(lib, pkg) {
+  if (get("startup_message", envir=.spOptions) == "attach")
+    smess_func()
+}
+
+
 load_stuff <- function() {
   rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings <- options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings")
   if (!is.null(rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings)) {
@@ -54,7 +63,26 @@ load_stuff <- function() {
       assign("evolution_status", unname(evolution_status), envir=.spOptions)
     }
   }
-  Smess <- paste("The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package\nwill retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on\nhttps://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.\nThis package is now running under evolution status", get_evolution_status(), "\n")
+  startup_message <- unlist(options("sp_startup_message"))
+  if (!is.null(startup_message)) {
+    startup_message <- as.character(startup_message)
+    stopifnot(is.character(startup_message))
+    stopifnot(isTRUE(startup_message %in% c("attach", "load", "none")))
+    assign("startup_message", unname(startup_message), envir=.spOptions)
+  } else {
+    startup_message <- Sys.getenv("_SP_STARTUP_MESSAGE_")
+    if (nchar(startup_message) > 0L) {
+      startup_message <- as.character(startup_message)
+      stopifnot(is.character(startup_message))
+      stopifnot(isTRUE(startup_message %in% c("attach", "load", "none")))
+      assign("startup_message", unname(startup_message), envir=.spOptions)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+smess_func <- function() {
+  where <- get("startup_message", envir=.spOptions)
+  Smess <- paste("The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,\nwhich was just ", where, "ed, will retire in October 2023.\nPlease refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially\nhttps://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.\nIt may be desirable to make the sf package available;\npackage maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.\nThe sp package is now running under evolution status ", get_evolution_status(), "\n", ifelse(get_evolution_status() == 2L, "     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)\n", ""), sep="")
   packageStartupMessage(Smess, appendLF = FALSE)
 }
 
diff --git a/R/CRS-methods.R b/R/CRS-methods.R
index 6230414..530c327 100644
--- a/R/CRS-methods.R
+++ b/R/CRS-methods.R
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ setMethod("rebuild_CRS", signature(obj = "CRS"),
             }
             return(res)
         } else {
-            warning("sf required for evolution_status==2L")
+            if (get("startup_message", envir=.spOptions) != "none")
+                warning("sf required for evolution_status==2L")
         }
     }
     if ((is.na(projargs) && !is.null(SRS_string)) && 
diff --git a/R/aggregate.R b/R/aggregate.R
index 3f8dee9..86d4383 100644
--- a/R/aggregate.R
+++ b/R/aggregate.R
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ aggregate.data.frame.SP <- function (x, by, FUN, ..., dissolve = TRUE) {
 		if (!gridded(geom) && is(geom, "SpatialPoints"))
 			geom = split(geom, factor(grp)) # creates SpatialMultiPoints
 		else {
+                        warning("No rgeos support in sp from October 2023;\nsee https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html")
 			.Deprecated("sf::agregate")
 			if (!requireNamespace("rgeos", quietly = TRUE))
 				stop("rgeos required")
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ aggregate.Spatial = function(x, by = list(ID = rep(1, length(x))), FUN, ...,
 }
 
 aggregatePolyWeighted = function(x, by) {
+        warning("No rgeos support in sp from October 2023;\nsee https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html")
 	if (!requireNamespace("rgeos", quietly = TRUE))
 		stop("rgeos required")
 	i = rgeos::gIntersection(x, by, byid = TRUE, drop_lower_td = TRUE)
diff --git a/R/disaggregate.R b/R/disaggregate.R
index d77b80c..83805bf 100644
--- a/R/disaggregate.R
+++ b/R/disaggregate.R
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ if (!isGeneric("disaggregate")) {
 
 # Robert Hijmans:
 explodePolygons <- function(x, ignoreholes=FALSE, ...) {
+  warning("No rgeos support in sp from October 2023;\nsee https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html")
   if (!requireNamespace("rgeos", quietly = TRUE))
     stop('package rgeos is needed to relate holes to their corresponding polygons')
   npols <- length(x@polygons)
diff --git a/R/over.R b/R/over.R
index 6e1b5cc..c9d9add 100644
--- a/R/over.R
+++ b/R/over.R
@@ -205,6 +205,7 @@ setMethod("over", signature("SpatialPoints", "SpatialPixelsDataFrame"),
 
 setMethod("over", signature("Spatial", "Spatial"),  # catch remaining:
 	function(x, y, returnList = FALSE, fn = NULL, ...) {
+        warning("No rgeos support in sp from October 2023;\nsee https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html")
 		.Deprecated("sf::st_intersects or sf::aggregate")
     	if (!requireNamespace("rgeos", quietly = TRUE))
 			stop("package rgeos is required for additional over methods")
diff --git a/R/projected.R b/R/projected.R
index 03ad7e7..7356114 100644
--- a/R/projected.R
+++ b/R/projected.R
@@ -115,14 +115,23 @@ is.projectedCRS <- function(obj) {
 	if (is.null(wkt2) && is.na(p4str))
 		as.logical(NA)
 	else if (get("evolution_status", envir=.spOptions) == 2L) {
-		if (!requireNamespace("sf", quietly = TRUE))
-			stop("sf required for evolution_status==2L")
-		o <- try(sf::st_is_longlat(obj), silent=TRUE)
+		if (requireNamespace("sf", quietly = TRUE)) {
+		    o <- try(sf::st_is_longlat(obj), silent=TRUE)
 # rbgm workaround for +proj=utm +zone=18 +ellps=GRS80 +towgs84=0,0,0,0,0,0,0 +units=m +no_defs +# +a=6378137.0 +es=0.006694380022900787 +lon_0=-75d00 +lat_0=0d00 +x_0=500000.0 +y_0=0.0 +k=0.9996 in bgmfiles Final_CAM_Boxes_8.bgm
-                if (inherits(o, "try-error"))
-                    length(grep("longlat", p4str, fixed = TRUE)) == 0L
-                else
-                    !o
+                    if (inherits(o, "try-error"))
+                        length(grep("longlat", p4str, fixed = TRUE)) == 0L
+                    else
+                        !o
+                } else {
+                    if (get("startup_message", envir=.spOptions) != "none")
+                        warning("Package sf not available")
+                    if (!is.null(wkt2)) # and old rgdal version
+		        substring(wkt2, 1, 3) != "GEO"
+	            else if (is.na(p4str) || !nzchar(p4str))
+		        as.logical(NA)
+	            else
+		        length(grep("longlat", p4str, fixed = TRUE)) == 0L
+                }
 	} else if (get("evolution_status", envir=.spOptions) == 0L && 
 			requireNamespace("rgdal", quietly = TRUE) &&
 			packageVersion("rgdal") >= "1.5.17" && rgdal::new_proj_and_gdal())
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9a874b9..cd27b2f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,7 +6,11 @@
 
 R Classes and Methods for Spatial Data.
 
-*Before* **sp** is loaded, `options("sp_evolution_status")` may be set to `0L` for legacy behaviour, `1L` for setting `CRS(, doCheckCRSArgs=FALSE, )` and other minor steps to block calls out to **rgdal** etc., and `2L` to use **sf** internally (not completed yet). If this option is not set, the environment variable `_SP_EVOLUTION_STATUS_` can be used, again *before* **sp** is loaded, set to `"0"`, `"1"` or `"2"`; this is used for running revdep checks under different evolution scenarios, anticipating [retirement of maptools, rgdal and rgeos](https://r-spatial.org/r/2022/04/12/evolution.html).
+From version 2.0.0, `sp` evolution status is changed to `2L` to use **sf** internally in place of `rgdal`, from default `0L` until now. See [this report](https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html) for adaptation details, and [this report](https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/04/10/evolution3.html) for progress on retiring `maptools`, `rgdal` and `rgeos`.
+
+*Before* **sp** is loaded, `options("sp_evolution_status")` may be set to `0L` for legacy behaviour, `1L` for setting `CRS(, doCheckCRSArgs=FALSE, )` and other minor steps to block calls out to **rgdal** etc., and `2L` to use **sf** internally. If this option is not set, the environment variable `_SP_EVOLUTION_STATUS_` can be used, again *before* **sp** is loaded, set to `"0"`, `"1"` or `"2"`; this is used for running revdep checks under different evolution scenarios, anticipating [retirement of maptools, rgdal and rgeos](https://r-spatial.org/r/2022/04/12/evolution.html).
+
+From `sp 1.6.0` published on CRAN 2023-01-19, these status settings may also be changed when `sp` is loaded, using `sp::get_evolution_status()` returning the current value, and `sp::set_evolution_status(value)`, where value can take the integer values `0L`, `1L` and `2L`. `sp 1.6.1` published on CRAN 2023-05-25 added start-up messages to alert users to imminent changes.
 
 See:
 
diff --git a/inst/include/sp.h b/inst/include/sp.h
index 1d247e6..6999578 100644
--- a/inst/include/sp.h
+++ b/inst/include/sp.h
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #endif
 /* remember to touch local_stubs.c */
 
-#define SP_VERSION "1.6-1"
+#define SP_VERSION "2.0-0"
 
 #include <R.h>
 /* RSB 091203 */
diff --git a/src/sp.h b/src/sp.h
index 1d247e6..6999578 100644
--- a/src/sp.h
+++ b/src/sp.h
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #endif
 /* remember to touch local_stubs.c */
 
-#define SP_VERSION "1.6-1"
+#define SP_VERSION "2.0-0"
 
 #include <R.h>
 /* RSB 091203 */
diff --git a/tests/agg.R b/tests/agg.R
index 4215138..bc1fcfe 100644
--- a/tests/agg.R
+++ b/tests/agg.R
@@ -1,35 +1,10 @@
 options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 library(sp)
-if (require(rgeos, quietly = TRUE)) {
 g = SpatialGrid(GridTopology(c(5,5), c(10,10), c(3,3)))
 p = as(g, "SpatialPolygons")
 p$z = c(1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1)
 cc = coordinates(g)
-#p$ag1 = aggregate(p, p, mean)[[1]]
-#p$ag1a = aggregate(p, p, mean, minDimension = 0)[[1]]
-#p$ag2 = aggregate(p, p, mean, minDimension = 1)[[1]]
-#p$ag3 = aggregate(p, p, mean, minDimension = 2)[[1]]
-#p$ag4 = aggregate(p, p, mean, areaWeighted=TRUE)[[1]]
 pts = cbind(c(9,21,21,9,9),c(9,9,21,21,9))
 sq = SpatialPolygons(list(Polygons(list(Polygon(pts)), "ID")))
 rnd2 = function(x) round(x, 2)
-#l = list(
-#	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$z), which = 1),
-#	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag1), which = 2),
-#	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag1a), which = 3),
-#	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag2), which = 4),
-#	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag3), which = 5),
-#	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag4), which = 6),
-#	list(sq, col = 'green', which = 6, first = FALSE, lwd = 2)
-#)
-#spplot(p, names.attr = c("source", "default aggregate", "minDimension=0", 
-#	"minDimension=1", "minDimension=2", "areaWeighted=TRUE"), layout = c(3,2), 
-#	as.table=TRUE, col.regions=bpy.colors(151)[50:151], cuts=100, 
-#	sp.layout = l, scales = list(draw = TRUE))
 
-#rnd2(c(aggregate(p, sq, mean)[[1]],
-#  aggregate(p, sq, mean, minDimension = 0)[[1]],
-#  aggregate(p, sq, mean, minDimension = 1)[[1]],
-#  aggregate(p, sq, mean, minDimension = 2)[[1]],
-#  aggregate(p, sq, mean, areaWeighted=TRUE)[[1]]))
-}
diff --git a/tests/agg.Rout.save b/tests/agg.Rout.save
index 78f20b5..d88c9c7 100644
--- a/tests/agg.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/agg.Rout.save
@@ -17,53 +17,23 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
-> if (require(rgeos, quietly = TRUE)) {
-+ g = SpatialGrid(GridTopology(c(5,5), c(10,10), c(3,3)))
-+ p = as(g, "SpatialPolygons")
-+ p$z = c(1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1)
-+ cc = coordinates(g)
-+ #p$ag1 = aggregate(p, p, mean)[[1]]
-+ #p$ag1a = aggregate(p, p, mean, minDimension = 0)[[1]]
-+ #p$ag2 = aggregate(p, p, mean, minDimension = 1)[[1]]
-+ #p$ag3 = aggregate(p, p, mean, minDimension = 2)[[1]]
-+ #p$ag4 = aggregate(p, p, mean, areaWeighted=TRUE)[[1]]
-+ pts = cbind(c(9,21,21,9,9),c(9,9,21,21,9))
-+ sq = SpatialPolygons(list(Polygons(list(Polygon(pts)), "ID")))
-+ rnd2 = function(x) round(x, 2)
-+ #l = list(
-+ #	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$z), which = 1),
-+ #	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag1), which = 2),
-+ #	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag1a), which = 3),
-+ #	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag2), which = 4),
-+ #	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag3), which = 5),
-+ #	list("sp.text", cc, rnd2(p$ag4), which = 6),
-+ #	list(sq, col = 'green', which = 6, first = FALSE, lwd = 2)
-+ #)
-+ #spplot(p, names.attr = c("source", "default aggregate", "minDimension=0", 
-+ #	"minDimension=1", "minDimension=2", "areaWeighted=TRUE"), layout = c(3,2), 
-+ #	as.table=TRUE, col.regions=bpy.colors(151)[50:151], cuts=100, 
-+ #	sp.layout = l, scales = list(draw = TRUE))
-+ 
-+ #rnd2(c(aggregate(p, sq, mean)[[1]],
-+ #  aggregate(p, sq, mean, minDimension = 0)[[1]],
-+ #  aggregate(p, sq, mean, minDimension = 1)[[1]],
-+ #  aggregate(p, sq, mean, minDimension = 2)[[1]],
-+ #  aggregate(p, sq, mean, areaWeighted=TRUE)[[1]]))
-+ }
-rgeos version: 0.6-3, (SVN revision 696)
- GEOS runtime version: 3.11.1-CAPI-1.17.1 
- Please note that rgeos will be retired during October 2023,
-plan transition to sf or terra functions using GEOS at your earliest convenience.
-See https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
- GEOS using OverlayNG
- Linking to sp version: 1.6-0 
- Polygon checking: TRUE 
-
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
+> g = SpatialGrid(GridTopology(c(5,5), c(10,10), c(3,3)))
+> p = as(g, "SpatialPolygons")
+> p$z = c(1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1)
+> cc = coordinates(g)
+> pts = cbind(c(9,21,21,9,9),c(9,9,21,21,9))
+> sq = SpatialPolygons(list(Polygons(list(Polygon(pts)), "ID")))
+> rnd2 = function(x) round(x, 2)
+> 
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.652   0.055   0.701 
+  0.244   0.030   0.266 
diff --git a/tests/base.Rout.save b/tests/base.Rout.save
index c2be6af..9d08c01 100644
--- a/tests/base.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/base.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > data(meuse)
 > x = meuse[1:10, ] # limit the output
 > coordinates(x) = c("x", "y") # names
@@ -464,4 +468,4 @@ Data attributes:
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.386   0.062   0.439 
+  0.466   0.034   0.495 
diff --git a/tests/fail1.Rout.save b/tests/fail1.Rout.save
index 05c2663..ff43e20 100644
--- a/tests/fail1.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/fail1.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > data(meuse)
 > x = meuse
 > 
@@ -214,14 +218,32 @@ x          5.721109 0.0005312853        84
 y         50.955770 0.0003318105       112
 > 
 > try(CRS("+proj=latlon +ellps=WGS84"))
-Error in CRS("+proj=latlon +ellps=WGS84") : 
-  northings must follow eastings: +proj=latlon +ellps=WGS84
+Coordinate Reference System:
+Deprecated Proj.4 representation: +proj=longlat +ellps=WGS84 +no_defs 
+WKT2 2019 representation:
+GEOGCRS["unknown",
+    DATUM["Unknown based on WGS 84 ellipsoid",
+        ELLIPSOID["WGS 84",6378137,298.257223563,
+            LENGTHUNIT["metre",1],
+            ID["EPSG",7030]]],
+    PRIMEM["Greenwich",0,
+        ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433],
+        ID["EPSG",8901]],
+    CS[ellipsoidal,2],
+        AXIS["longitude",east,
+            ORDER[1],
+            ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433,
+                ID["EPSG",9122]]],
+        AXIS["latitude",north,
+            ORDER[2],
+            ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433,
+                ID["EPSG",9122]]]] 
 > try(CRS("+proj=lonlat +ellps=WGS84"))
 Coordinate Reference System:
 Deprecated Proj.4 representation: +proj=longlat +ellps=WGS84 +no_defs 
 WKT2 2019 representation:
 GEOGCRS["unknown",
-    DATUM["Unknown based on WGS84 ellipsoid",
+    DATUM["Unknown based on WGS 84 ellipsoid",
         ELLIPSOID["WGS 84",6378137,298.257223563,
             LENGTHUNIT["metre",1],
             ID["EPSG",7030]]],
@@ -237,10 +259,7 @@ GEOGCRS["unknown",
             ORDER[2],
             ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433,
                 ID["EPSG",9122]]]] 
-Warning message:
-In CRS("+proj=lonlat +ellps=WGS84") :
-  'lonlat' changed to 'longlat': +proj=longlat +ellps=WGS84
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.547   0.073   0.612 
+  0.830   0.046   0.881 
diff --git a/tests/grid.Rout.save b/tests/grid.Rout.save
index 71347c9..1ec3348 100644
--- a/tests/grid.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/grid.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > data(meuse.grid)
 > x = meuse.grid
 > coordinates(x) = c("x", "y")
@@ -280,4 +284,4 @@ Coordinate Reference System (CRS) arguments: NA
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.432   0.067   0.490 
+  0.514   0.034   0.542 
diff --git a/tests/over2.R b/tests/over2.R
index 1249e54..2800ea6 100644
--- a/tests/over2.R
+++ b/tests/over2.R
@@ -1,43 +1,8 @@
 options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 library(sp)
 
-if (require(rgeos, quietly = TRUE)) {
 g = SpatialGrid(GridTopology(c(0,0), c(1,1), c(3,3)))
 p = as(g, "SpatialPolygons")
 over(g,g)
-over(p,p)
-over(p,p, minDimension = 0) # orders; different names
-over(p,g)
-over(g,p)
 
-over(p,p,returnList=TRUE)
-over(p,p,returnList=TRUE, minDimension=0)
-over(p,p,returnList=TRUE, minDimension=1)
-over(p,p,returnList=TRUE, minDimension=2)
-over(p,p[1:6],minDimension=2)
 
-x2 = x1 = cbind(c(0,1,1,0,0), c(0,0,1,1,0))
-x1[,1] = x1[,1]+0.5
-x1[,2] = x1[,2]+0.25
-sp = SpatialPolygons(list(
- Polygons(list(Polygon(x1)), "x1"),
- Polygons(list(Polygon(x2)), "x2")))
-pt = SpatialPoints(cbind(0.5,0.5)) # on border of x1
-row.names(pt) = "pt1"
-over(pt,sp)
-over(pt,sp,returnList=TRUE)
-
-rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,sp)
-rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,sp,returnList=TRUE)
-
-plot(sp)
-plot(pt,add=TRUE,col='red',pch=16)
-#    x1     x2 
-#	"F0FF" "0FFF" 
-# it would be nice to have these sorted "2, 1" instead of "1, 2" - use
-rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,sp,returnList=TRUE, minDimension = 0)
-
-rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,pt,minDimension=2)
-rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,pt,minDimension=1)
-rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,pt,minDimension=0)
-}
diff --git a/tests/over2.Rout.save b/tests/over2.Rout.save
index 0954838..08ec39c 100644
--- a/tests/over2.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/over2.Rout.save
@@ -17,63 +17,23 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
+> 
+> g = SpatialGrid(GridTopology(c(0,0), c(1,1), c(3,3)))
+> p = as(g, "SpatialPolygons")
+> over(g,g)
+1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 
+1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 
+> 
 > 
-> if (require(rgeos, quietly = TRUE)) {
-+ g = SpatialGrid(GridTopology(c(0,0), c(1,1), c(3,3)))
-+ p = as(g, "SpatialPolygons")
-+ over(g,g)
-+ over(p,p)
-+ over(p,p, minDimension = 0) # orders; different names
-+ over(p,g)
-+ over(g,p)
-+ 
-+ over(p,p,returnList=TRUE)
-+ over(p,p,returnList=TRUE, minDimension=0)
-+ over(p,p,returnList=TRUE, minDimension=1)
-+ over(p,p,returnList=TRUE, minDimension=2)
-+ over(p,p[1:6],minDimension=2)
-+ 
-+ x2 = x1 = cbind(c(0,1,1,0,0), c(0,0,1,1,0))
-+ x1[,1] = x1[,1]+0.5
-+ x1[,2] = x1[,2]+0.25
-+ sp = SpatialPolygons(list(
-+  Polygons(list(Polygon(x1)), "x1"),
-+  Polygons(list(Polygon(x2)), "x2")))
-+ pt = SpatialPoints(cbind(0.5,0.5)) # on border of x1
-+ row.names(pt) = "pt1"
-+ over(pt,sp)
-+ over(pt,sp,returnList=TRUE)
-+ 
-+ rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,sp)
-+ rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,sp,returnList=TRUE)
-+ 
-+ plot(sp)
-+ plot(pt,add=TRUE,col='red',pch=16)
-+ #    x1     x2 
-+ #	"F0FF" "0FFF" 
-+ # it would be nice to have these sorted "2, 1" instead of "1, 2" - use
-+ rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,sp,returnList=TRUE, minDimension = 0)
-+ 
-+ rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,pt,minDimension=2)
-+ rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,pt,minDimension=1)
-+ rgeos::overGeomGeom(pt,pt,minDimension=0)
-+ }
-rgeos version: 0.6-3, (SVN revision 696)
- GEOS runtime version: 3.11.1-CAPI-1.17.1 
- Please note that rgeos will be retired during October 2023,
-plan transition to sf or terra functions using GEOS at your earliest convenience.
-See https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
- GEOS using OverlayNG
- Linking to sp version: 1.6-0 
- Polygon checking: TRUE 
-
-pt1 
-  1 
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.705   0.047   0.745 
+  0.212   0.041   0.246 
diff --git a/tests/pass1.Rout.save b/tests/pass1.Rout.save
index 2643c26..f57b240 100644
--- a/tests/pass1.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/pass1.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > data(meuse)
 > x = meuse
 > coordinates(x) = cbind(rnorm(155), rnorm(155))
@@ -289,6 +293,9 @@ Data attributes:
 > 
 > # test behaviour on zero-length objects:
 > demo(meuse, ask = FALSE, echo = FALSE)
+Warning message:
+In CPL_crs_from_input(x) :
+  GDAL Message 1: +init=epsg:XXXX syntax is deprecated. It might return a CRS with a non-EPSG compliant axis order.
 > p = as(meuse, "SpatialPoints")
 > 
 > p[0]
@@ -602,4 +609,4 @@ Error in SpatialPointsDataFrame(pts, df, match.ID = TRUE) :
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.595   0.087   0.673 
+  0.959   0.060   1.023 
diff --git a/tests/point.in.polygon.Rout.save b/tests/point.in.polygon.Rout.save
index 56267be..ac1e57a 100644
--- a/tests/point.in.polygon.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/point.in.polygon.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > 
 > # open polygon:
 > print(point.in.polygon(1:10,1:10,c(3,5,5,3),c(3,3,5,5)))
@@ -31,4 +35,4 @@ This package is now running under evolution status 0
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.191   0.042   0.223 
+  0.223   0.026   0.242 
diff --git a/tests/sel.Rout.save b/tests/sel.Rout.save
index 23444be..9a91e03 100644
--- a/tests/sel.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/sel.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > x = c(0.5, 1.5, 0.5, 1.5, 1.6)
 > y = c(1.5, 1.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5)
 > xy = cbind(x,y)
@@ -205,4 +209,4 @@ e 2 c
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.399   0.046   0.436 
+  0.474   0.034   0.501 
diff --git a/tests/sp1.Rout.save b/tests/sp1.Rout.save
index f95b750..170175d 100644
--- a/tests/sp1.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/sp1.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > data(meuse)
 > x = meuse
 > nm <- names(meuse)
@@ -335,4 +339,4 @@ Data attributes:
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.300   0.038   0.329 
+  0.352   0.035   0.381 
diff --git a/tests/spDists.Rout.save b/tests/spDists.Rout.save
index ea19f11..3c3a60b 100644
--- a/tests/spDists.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/spDists.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > data(meuse)
 > data(meuse.grid)
 > coordinates(meuse) = ~x+y
@@ -46,4 +50,4 @@ This package is now running under evolution status 0
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.705   0.254   0.951 
+  0.826   0.202   1.022 
diff --git a/tests/spplot.Rout.save b/tests/spplot.Rout.save
index 0070504..20eb339 100644
--- a/tests/spplot.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/spplot.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > xy = expand.grid(x = 1:4, y = 1:4)
 > xy.sp = SpatialPoints(xy)
 > gridded(xy.sp) = T
@@ -50,4 +54,4 @@ Coordinate Reference System (CRS) arguments: NA
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.389   0.050   0.430 
+  0.456   0.045   0.495 
diff --git a/tests/zerodist.Rout.save b/tests/zerodist.Rout.save
index 99bfe60..adc2327 100644
--- a/tests/zerodist.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/zerodist.Rout.save
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 
 > options("rgdal_show_exportToProj4_warnings"="none")
 > library(sp)
-The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning this package
-will retire shortly. Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports on
-https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html for details.
-This package is now running under evolution status 0 
+The legacy packages maptools, rgdal, and rgeos, underpinning the sp package,
+which was just loaded, will retire in October 2023.
+Please refer to R-spatial evolution reports for details, especially
+https://r-spatial.org/r/2023/05/15/evolution4.html.
+It may be desirable to make the sf package available;
+package maintainers should consider adding sf to Suggests:.
+The sp package is now running under evolution status 2
+     (status 2 uses the sf package in place of rgdal)
 > data(meuse)
 > # pick 10 rows
 > n = 10
@@ -124,4 +128,4 @@ Data attributes:
 > 
 > proc.time()
    user  system elapsed 
-  0.220   0.044   0.254 
+  0.251   0.031   0.274 
diff --git a/vignettes/retiring_rgdal_geos_1.Rmd b/vignettes/retiring_rgdal_geos_1.Rmd
index c0a1bcc..c1d7220 100644
--- a/vignettes/retiring_rgdal_geos_1.Rmd
+++ b/vignettes/retiring_rgdal_geos_1.Rmd
@@ -194,13 +194,18 @@ colnames(slot(meuse, "coords"))
 ```{r}
 str(meuse$x)
 ```
-So far so good, but round-tripping changes the column names of the matrix of points:
+So far so good, but round-tripping if `sf` is available changes the column names of the matrix of points:
 
 ```{r}
+run <- requireNamespace("sf", quietly = TRUE)
+```
+
+
+```{r, eval=run}
 meuse_rt <- as(sf::st_as_sf(meuse), "Spatial")
 names(meuse_rt)
 ```
-```{r}
+```{r, eval=run}
 colnames(slot(meuse_rt, "coords"))
 ```