[Rd] documentation

[Ben Bolker]

If you're worried about follow-up on bug reports, I'd suggest posting to
the R bug tracker ( you can request access if you don't already have it)

On Sat, Apr 16, 2022, 11:27 AM Frederick Eaton <frederik using ofb.net> wrote:

> Dear R Devel,
>
> I'm sorry that I haven't had time to check the subversion logs to see
> if any of these items have been addressed, but I remember notifying
> the list about bugs in the documentation of 'browser()' and
> 'system2()' and I haven't yet received any acknowledgment that the
> issues I described were understood. R is a useful language, and since
> it is used in education, I wonder if we should make sure that all
> documentation bugs are responded to.
>
> Contributors might also note that documentation error reports can't be
> generated automatically, like compiler errors can; and that
> distributing bad documentation is an effective way to obscure the
> functioning of a software project, and to make it hard for others to
> verify that it is doing the right thing, or to extend its
> functionality.
>
> For a refresher, the issue with system2() is that the documentation
> does not warn users that the elements of the 'args' array need to be
> passed through a quoting function, and the issue with browser() is
> that various limitations of the trace facilities and API are
> undocumented. Have these been fixed without reporting back to the
> list? Or is it that no one else uses these functions? In which case
> maybe I can be given access to fix the documentation myself?
>
> I worry that R is becoming more like an appliance, needing servicing
> in cooperation with the maker, than a tool that I can recommend for
> people to take home and build something with. I hope that I'm
> misunderstanding the intent of the core team.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Frederick
>
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