[R] confint: which method attached?

[Prof Brian D Ripley]

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003, Ulrich Halekoh wrote:

> the function
> confint
> uses the profiling method of the function of the package MASS
>
> confint.glm
>
> even after the package has been detached!

Why the exclamation mark?  Note profile.glm is not actually in package:MASS
(sic).  Try looking for it:

> getAnywhere("profile.glm")
A single object matching 'profile.glm' was found
It was found in the following places
  registered S3 method for profile from namespace MASS
  namespace:MASS
with value
   ...

> 1: might this be the intenden behavior?

The accurate description is the intended behaviour.

> 2. How does the function remember its 'MASS' functionality after
> detaching the package?

It isn't in the package ....


There is currently no way to remove registered S3 methods like confint.glm
in an R session.  Nor is there likely to be in the near future,


General comment: R has changed quite a lot recently, and older
preconceptions do need to be checked against current information.
The article `Name Space Management for R' in R-news 2003/1 may help
(although it may tell you mor ethan you want to know).

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272860 (secr)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595