[R] predict function

[Rolf Turner]

Uwe Ligges wrote:

> Thomas Jagoe wrote:
> 
> > I am using R to do a loess normalisation procedure.
    .
    .
    .
> > However in 1.8.1 all goes well until the last step when I get an error:
> > 
> > Error: couldn't find function "predict.loess"
> > 
> > Can anyone help ?
> 
> 
> Use predict() instead of predict.loess() (the method is hidden in a 
> namespace, you should use the generic function).
> 
> Uwe Ligges

Why are the developers ***DOING*** these things to us?

It used to be so simple and straightforward!  If I wanted to look
at an object, including a function object, I typed its name.  Now
I get hand-cuffed by this ``namespace'' business!  I will wager
Euros to doughnuts that no-one apart from the developers has a clue
what a ``namespace'' is, much less what it is good for.  Whatever
problem ``namespaces'' were introduced to solve, it pales by
comparison with the handicaps they introduce.

It's classic tail-wagging-the-dog syndrome.

When I get errors from R code, which come from within ``system''
functions, it has been my practice to make a local copy (in the
.Globalenv) of the function, stick in calls to browser(), and
thereby track down what's going on/wrong.  This always worked like a
charm. Now if the problem arises within, e.g. predict.loess, I'm
stuffed.

					cheers,

						Rolf Turner
						rolf at math.unb.ca