[Bioc-devel] Contradicting descriptions of "Enhances"

[Martin Maechler]

>>>>> Dan Tenenbaum <dtenenba at fhcrc.org>
>>>>>     on Sun, 3 Aug 2014 22:59:52 -0700 writes:

    > ----- Original Message -----
    >> From: "Jonathan Rosenblatt" <john.ros.work at gmail.com> To:
    >> bioc-devel at r-project.org Sent: Sunday, August 3, 2014
    >> 10:39:57 PM Subject: [Bioc-devel] Contradicting
    >> descriptions of "Enhances"
    >> 
    >> At the time of writing:
    >> 
    >> *Writing R Extensions:* "...the ‘Enhances’ field lists
    >> packages “enhanced” by the package at hand..."


    > This is backwards, maybe just a grammar fail? IMO it
    > should say "the 'Enhances' field lists packages which
    > 'enhance' the package at hand, if they are present."

I don't think so!
Dan, what you describe is basically 'Suggests'.  'Enhances' is
used more rarely, and indeed meant for what it says in WRE.

Otherwise, please bring this to the R-devel m.list.

    >> *Bioconductor:* "Enhances: is for packages such as Rmpi
    >> or parallel that enhance the performance of the current
    >> package, but are not strictly needed for its
    >> functionality."

and the above is not correct, IMO.

Martin

    >> Have these definitions been resolved?
    >> 

    > IMO R-exts should be corrected along the lines I suggest
    > above (and R-devel is the appropriate place for such a
    > suggestion); however, the text on the bioc site is also
    > probably less than ideal (will confer with bioc core as to
    > how to rewrite it). Rmpi and parallel are not _always_
    > "take it or leave it" packages. Other than the grammar
    > blooper, R-exts goes on to give more detailed and correct
    > information, the most important bit of which is that all
    > invocations of packages in enhances should be wrapped in

    > if (require(somePkg)).

    > Dan



    >> 
    >> 
    >> --
    >> --
    >> Jonathan Rosenblatt Postdoctoral Researcher Faculty of
    >> Mathematics and CS Weizmann Institute of Science
    >> www.john-ros.com
    >> 
    >> [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
    >> 
    >> 
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