[Rd] How do you make a formal "feature" request?

[Hadley Wickham]

> A report() function analogous to the plot() function that makes it easy to generate a report from a table of data. This should not be in some auxiliary package, but part of the core R just like plot(). As a long time SAS user I cannot believe R does not have this. Please don't give me any crap about Sweave, LaTex, and the "power" of R to roll your own. You don't have to "roll your own" plot do you? Reports are no different. If you don't agree do not bother me. If you agree then please bring this request to the appropriate authorities for consideration or tell me how to do it.

I know it's frustrating when a program doesn't do what you want to do,
and I agree with you that R's reporting capabilities are not (yet) as
easy to use as SAS (although they can be more powerful and flexible).
You may have noticed that when you downloaded R that you didn't have
to pay anyone any money to use it - this has both advantages and
disadvantages. The advantage are obvious (it's free!), but a
disadvantage is that no-one is funded to work on R full time. This
means that most contributors to R (even the core developers!) work on
R either as part of another job or in their free time, and so usually
work on the aspects of statistics and data analysis that most interest
them. If you want a core developer to work on something, you either
need to get them interested in your problem or find money to buy some
of their time.

Another disadvantage from your perspective is that while SAS is a
business and therefore cares (at least a tiny amount) about your
business, R does not. Everyone who provides help on R-help does so out
of the goodness of their heart, not because they get paid. Replies can
sometimes be rather irascible, and even rude, and while I personally
don't like the lack of manners, you still get far more than what you
pay for.

At the end of the day, if R doesn't meet your needs, why not continue using SAS?

Hadley

-- 
Assistant Professor / Dobelman Family Junior Chair
Department of Statistics / Rice University
http://had.co.nz/