[R] A "rude" question

[msck9@mizzou.edu]

Thanks for all the good points. I raised the question not because I doubt the R
system, but I think it is a common point for all the open code software.
Personally I really appreciate the open source software, and nowadays,
there are more and more open source, especially in the academic area. 

Ming
On Thu, Jan 27, 2005 at 09:21:12AM -0600, Tim F Liao wrote:
> I'm in agreement with Tom with respect to all the points he
> made but two in particular:
> 
> Open code: very useful and much easier (than other software)
> to make sure the trustworthiness of the function/library.  I
> often do go into the code and make sure this is what I want
> and it is a good way to find out the "meaning" of certain
> parts of the output and to learn others' programming tricks. 
> And that's the power of R.
> 
> Pedigree of the contributors: top-notch.  I remember finding a
> "bug" (having to do with detecting heteroscedasticity) in SAS
> back in the early 90s and communicated to a SAS tech.  SAS was
> considered the industry's standard back then, but contributed
> mostly by professonal programmers.  In comparison, R's
> libraries are contributed by statisticians who are at the
> forefront of statistical methods research.
> 
> Tim
> 
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 14:15:31 +0800
> >From: "Mulholland, Tom" <Tom.Mulholland at dpi.wa.gov.au>  
> >Subject: RE: [R] A "rude" question  
> >To: <msck9 at mizzou.edu>, <r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch>
> >
> >What makes you trust any software? 
> >
> >There are some obvious points. First of all the code is open
> so if you know enough you can actually read the code and make
> sure it does what you want. Secondly you can replicate a
> process using two pieces of software and compare the results.
> You can check the archives and you will find a number of posts
> that talk about the results produced by R and how they compare
> with other software. Typically R versus Excel or R versus SPSS
> / SAS. Just be careful as different answers does not
> automatically mean one is wrong, and it certainly doesn't mean
> R is wrong.
> >
> >Excel computes =ROUND(2.5,0) to be 3
> >R computes round(2.5) to be 2
> >
> >As I understand it both are right, they are just using
> different standards. I however have always used the latter and
> rounded to the even number where the figure to be rounded lies
> exactly at the halfway mark.
> >
> >Hang around this list for a short time and it will become
> evident that if this software didn't work; the people using it
> would have stopped using it long ago.
> >
> >Forget the commercial versus open software arguments that
> raise their head from time to time. The question is how well a
> piece of software is written / maintained & supported and not
> issues of payment or the greater good. There is some woeful 
> freeware, just as there is some woeful commercial products.
> >
> >The pedigree of the contributors to the base package is hard
> to beat. I wouldn't know the pedigree of those who write the
> other stats programmes, but I assume that R contributors are
> right in there, with the best.
> >
> >As to packages. They must vary with quality, and people do
> make mistakes. If you have something that in modern parlance
> is "mission critical" it wouldn't matter which product you
> had, you would test it to see that it fitted your requirements.
> >
> >You have raised a question that is often ignored or assumed.
> But to really know the answer for yourself you need to test it
> yourself or rely upon others that you trust. Whenever I start
> using a package I make sure it does not just what it states it
> can do, but also that it does what I want it to do.
> >
> >Tom
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: msck9 at mizzou.edu [mailto:msck9 at mizzou.edu]
> >> Sent: Thursday, 27 January 2005 1:10 PM
> >> To: r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch
> >> Subject: [R] A "rude" question
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Dear all, 
> >>  I am beginner using R. I have a question about it. When
> you use it,
> >>  since it is written by so many authors, how do you know
> that the
> >>  results are trustable?(I don't want to affend anyone, also
> I trust
> >>  people). But I think this should be a question.
> >> 
> >>  Thanks,
> >>  Ming
> >> 
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