[R] Re: Candid comment

[John Maindonald]

Perhaps I should have said:  "... more than failure to 
read the manual..."
John Maindonald
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Michael Nielsen wrote

<soap-box>

While I agree with John about abuse of methodology, I can't subscribe to
the "failure to read the manual" proposition.

I don't mean to lecture, but it would seem to me that people who, like me,
will probably gain far more from this list than we will be able to
contribute (at least in the near term) owe it to those who will likely
contribute far more than they will actually gain to do our homework before
asking the list.  The risk of enduring a withering (and public) "Ripley"
for being apparently unprepared (whether valid or not), is probably a small
price to pay for the number of "how do I use R to compute the mean"
questions that are likely filtered out as a consequence.  On the other
hand, big contributors are surely entitled (but not, I suppose, obliged) to
say what they like.

Enjoying the benefits of free software and associated resources carries
with it the duty of appropriate diligence in problem solving and
self-education.

</soap-box>

Regards,
Mike




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