R help - Jun 2007 - Package update announcements

Hi Folks,
I was wondering what everyone thought about adding a sentence to each  
package update announcement that described what the package did. R  
extensions are so numerous that it is difficult to keep up with them.  
Would it be appropriate to ask package developers to add a brief  
sentence about what the package does, when they announce updates?

I would benefit from such descriptions.

Cheers,
Hank

Dr. Hank Stevens, Assistant Professor
338 Pearson Hall
Botany Department
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056

Office: (513) 529-4206
Lab: (513) 529-4262
FAX: (513) 529-4243
http://www.cas.muohio.edu/~stevenmh/
http://www.muohio.edu/ecology/
http://www.muohio.edu/botany/

"E Pluribus Unum"

>>>>> "MHHS" == Martin Henry H Stevens <hstevens at
muohio.edu>
>>>>>     on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:23:46 -0400 writes:
    MHHS> Hi Folks, I was wondering what everyone thought about
    MHHS> adding a sentence to each package update announcement
    MHHS> that described what the package did. R extensions are
    MHHS> so numerous that it is difficult to keep up with them.
    MHHS> Would it be appropriate to ask package developers to
    MHHS> add a brief sentence about what the package does, when
    MHHS> they announce updates?

Thanks a lot, Hank!

I've been supporting your suggestion ever since I had created
'R-packages' ( = "R package announcements mailing list").

As moderator, I even occasionally rejected postings to
R-packages exactly by requiring such short information preceding
any notice of changes.

I think that >99% of the package authors would also agree, but
then we are all humans and hence sometimes get into peculiar
world views such as "there's my package, and there's R and then
rest of the universe" ;-)

Martin Maechler, ETH Zurich

    MHHS> I would benefit from such descriptions.

    MHHS> Cheers, Hank

    MHHS> Dr. Hank Stevens, Assistant Professor 338 Pearson Hall
    MHHS> Botany Department Miami University Oxford, OH 45056

    MHHS> Office: (513) 529-4206 Lab: (513) 529-4262 FAX: (513)
    MHHS> 529-4243 http://www.cas.muohio.edu/~stevenmh/
    MHHS> http://www.muohio.edu/ecology/
    MHHS> http://www.muohio.edu/botany/

    MHHS> "E Pluribus Unum"

    MHHS> ______________________________________________
    MHHS> R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
    MHHS> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do
    MHHS> read the posting guide
    MHHS> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and
    MHHS> provide commented, minimal, self-contained,
    MHHS> reproducible code.