[R] Variable passed to function not used in function in select=... in subset

[Petr PIKAL]

Hi

r-help-bounces at r-project.org napsal dne 11.11.2008 11:32:27:

> Berwin A Turlach wrote:
> > On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:27:41 +0100
> > Wacek Kusnierczyk <Waclaw.Marcin.Kusnierczyk at idi.ntnu.no> wrote:
> >
> > 
> >> but then it might be worth asking whether carrying on with misdesign
> >> for backward compatibility outbalances guaranteed crashes in future
> >> users' programs, [...]
> >> 
> >
> > Why is it worth asking this if nobody else asks it? 
> 
> 
> i guess most of the people who do ask questions here care little about r
> itself, they just want it to solve a problem, even if it involves
> hacking the language.

Well, if somebody does not care what is he/she doing then he/she should 
stop immediately. 
If you do not care about how to use machine-gun correctly you could easily 
harm yourself or others. 

> 
> those outside the r team who care about language design have probably
> left the list long ago, if only they were subscribed.  the fact that

I am just a BFU although for some time already, so I learned much virtues 
from capable persons who are developing and using R. I started with R when 
I had to change from DOS Statgraphics to some Windows based program and 
get used to it. 

It is like buying new shoes. If somebody just put them on, go for a some 
mountaineering, find out that they cause blisters, discard them and buy a 
new pair then he probable does not get rid of blisters.

> it's only me asking is no statistics.  i do talk to people, and know
> many who'd ask, but they just don't care, because they have already
> trashed r.  instead of discouraging me, make use of that i care to ask.

If i understand - see Gabors post

> Gabor Grothendieck wrote: 
>> Certainly this has been recognized as a potential problem: 
>> 
>> http://developer.r-project.org/nonstandard-eval.pdf 
>> 
>> however, it is convenient when you are performing 
>> an analysis and entering commands directly as opposed 
>> to writing a program although possibly the potential ambiguities 
>> overshadow the convenience. 

But changing it could be quite difficult and not on developers high 
priority list.

Just my 2c

Regards
Petr

> 
> vQ
> 
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