[R] The Origins of R

[Rolf Turner]

On 4/02/2009, at 8:15 PM, Mark Difford wrote:

>
>>> Indeed.  The postings exuded a tabloid-esque level of slimy  
>>> nastiness.
>
> Indeed, indeed. But I do not feel that that is necessarily the  
> case. Credit
> should be given where credit is due. And that, I believe is the  
> issue that
> is getting (some) people hot and bothered. Certainly, Trevor Hastie  
> in his
> reply to the NY Times article, was not too happy with this aspect  
> of the
> story.
>
> Granted, his comments were not made on this list, but the objection is
> essentially the same. I would not call what he had to say "Mischief  
> making"
> or smacking of a "tabloid-esque level of slimy nastiness." The knee- 
> jerk
> reaction seems to be that this is a criticism of R. It is not. It is a
> criticism of a poorly researched article.
>
> It also is an undeniable and inescapable fact that most S code runs  
> in R.

The problem is not with criticism of the NY Times article, although  
as Pat
Burns and others have pointed out this criticism was somewhat  
misdirected
and unrealistic considering the exigencies of newspaper editing.  The  
problem
was with a number of posts that cast aspersions upon the integrity of
Ihaka and Gentleman.  It is these posts that exuded tabloid-esque slimy
nastiness.

I am sure that Ross and Robert would never dream of failing to give  
credit
where credit is due and it is almost certainly the case that they  
explained
the origins of R in the S language to the writer of the NYT article  
(wherefrom
the explanation was cut in the editing process).

Those of us on this list (with the possible exception of one or two  
nutters)
would take it that it goes without saying that R was developed on the  
basis
of S --- we all ***know*** that.  To impugn the integrity of Ihaka  
and Gentleman,
because an article which *they didn't write* failed to mention this  
fact, is
unconscionable.

	cheers,

		Rolf Turner

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