[R] style question: returning multiple arguments - structure orlist

[Jim Lemon]

Since opinions are being pronounced freely, perhaps one more won't be
too objectionable.  I, perhaps like one or two other users of R, value
it highly as a tool. That is, I want to get things done with it. I often
_have_ to get things done with it, and quickly into the bargain. As
Jonathan Baron pointed out, transfer of learning isn't everything, but
as a learning theorist myself, it's a good start. It is incredibly easy
to forget how much you know (just ask Professor Ryle, but alas...) and
assume that someone can learn all the levels of a complex interaction at
once. If someone already knows an interface to use the tool, and that
interface is available, let 'em use it. They'll probably learn how to
use the tool much faster. If your preferred interface is superior, maybe
they'll realize that, after they've understood what the tool can do. I
realized, funnily enough while teaching students programming, that the
students could get their job done quite well without any of my favorite
tools. So I came to the conclusion that a guru will teach you how to be
a disciple, while an expert will show you how to get the job done.

Jim

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