[R] bug in dev.copy2pdf output?

[selwyn quan]

On Sat, 30 Jul 2011, Rolf Turner wrote:

> On 29/07/11 19:57, Martin Maechler wrote:
>
> <SNIP>
>> but *also* see the  *workaround* for the bug that has been on
>> R's   ?pdf  help page  for  years  [!!!!]
>> -->  search for "q" (including the quotes).
>> 
>> Why oh why oh why ... are people always thinkg of bugs in R
>>      when they notice something and
>> why oh why oh why do they then "google around" instead of just
>> once carefully read the help pages that we have been writing
>> with much diligence, and have constantly been keeping current
>> ... aarrgghh.... {mentally tearing at my few remaining hairs ..}
>
> Might I ***ever so humbly*** suggest that some sort of
> (brief) cross reference to the note in the pdf help be placed
> in the help for dev.copy2pdf?
>
> It's all very well to say RTFM, but when one is dealing with
> "clyde" one tends to read TFM for "clyde" and not TFM for
> "melvin" with which one is not dealing.  In this case "melvin"
> is ``obviously'' (**) related to "clyde" and therefore one might
> reasonably conjecture that there may be some useful insight
> into one's problems given in the help for "melvin".  But then
> there might be useful insight available in a lot of places, such
> as the dark side of the moon.  Where does one start if one
> doesn't really understand WTF is going in the first place?
>
>    cheers,
>
>        Rolf Turner
>
> (**) NOTHING is ever obvious unless you already know it.
>

FWIW, scanned ?dev.copy2pdf, searched the R bugzilla and googled for bugs 
against dev.copy2pdf BEFORE sending the email. Looking at ?pdf or using 
ZapfDingbats as a search term was not the first thing that came to mind.

We do all appreciate the diligence and effort that have gone into writing 
the help pages but a link in dev.copy2pdf would certainly have helped.

Selwyn