[R] get() versus getAnywhere()

[Johannes Huesing]

Rolf Turner <r.turner at auckland.ac.nz> [Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 10:01:34PM CEST]:
>
> On 19/04/2009, at 9:45 PM, Duncan Murdoch wrote:
>
>> On 18/04/2009 8:47 PM, Rolf Turner wrote:
>>> On 17/04/2009, at 10:21 PM, Duncan Murdoch wrote:
>>>
>>>> Benjamin Tyner wrote:
>>>>> Many thanks Duncan. Perhaps this merits a more explicit note in the
>>>>> documentation?
>>>>>
>>>> The quote I gave is from the documentation.  How could it be more
>>>> explicit?
>>>
>>> This is unfortunately typical of the attitude of R-core people toward
>>> the
>>> documentation.  ``It's clear.'' they say.  ``It's explicit.''  Clear 
>>> and
>>> explicit once you *know* what it's saying.  Not before, but.
>>
>> But I didn't say that.  I asked how to make it more explicit.
>
> 	Oh come on Duncan!  You did *not*.  You asked (rhetorical
> 	question) ``How could it be more explicit?''  (Implied:  How
> 	could it ***possibly*** be more explicit?)

E-mail doesn't convey tone, facial expression or gesture. I would give
Duncan the benefit of the doubt here.

>>
>>>
>>> In this case the documentation is quite opaque to me, and I would
>>> suspect
>>> to a good many like me.
>>
>> What change would make it less opaque?
>
> For one thing, point out ***explicitly***, as you did in your post, that
> getAnywhere() doesn't actually get ***anywhere***.  Only some wheres.

Ask explicitly, get an explicit answer. A documentation comprising explicit
answers would be an FAQ, which in itself is not concise in most cases.
-- 
Johannes Hüsing               There is something fascinating about science. 
                              One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture 
mailto:johannes at huesing.name  from such a trifling investment of fact.                
http://derwisch.wikidot.com         (Mark Twain, "Life on the Mississippi")