(fwd) Re: [R] the underscore ("_") in variable name

[Alberto Murta]

Duncan Murdoch wrote:

> I don't follow this argument.  Underscore isn't used anywhere else in
> the language, so when you see one, you know it's an assignment.  On
> the other hand, both "<" and "-" have multiple other uses.  This leads
> to lots of possibilities for confusion:
>
>   x <--5
>   x < -5
>   x <- 5

Those are classic examples. Nevertheless, "<-" is more appealing visually than "_"
as an assignment operator, mainly because "_"  is used in file and variable names
in other programming languages.

> (Of course, I actually prefer the Pascalian :=, but I realize that
> puts me in a double minority :-).
>

Here I agree with you. I think that future releases of R should have "=" as the
assignement operator, just like the last version of S.

Alberto

--
__________________ Alberto G. Murta ______________________
     IPIMAR - Institute of Fisheries and Sea Research
      Avenida de Brasilia; 1449-006 Lisboa; Portugal
Tel:351 213027062; Fax:351 213015948; http://www.ipimar.pt


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