[R] Links to vignettes in the base packages

[Martin Maechler]

>>>>> Richard Cotton <richierocks at gmail.com>
>>>>>     on Wed, 14 Jan 2015 09:23:42 +0300 writes:

    > Contributed packages have copies of their vignettes on CRAN (in their
    > package page at <cranmirror>/web/packages/<packagename>).

    > Since base packages no longer have a page here, I can't find a web link to them.

    > I'm aware that I can find the vignette via browseVignettes() or
    > vignette("vignettename", package = "packagename").  There are two use
    > cases where a web link is more useful.  If someone is asking for help
    > and I want to direct them to a vignette, having a link to a vignette
    > rather than getting them to open R and type a command increases the
    > chance that they will actually bother to look at the thing. Secondly,
    > if I want to read a vignette on a machine without R (ebook reader,
    > phone, whatever), then a web link is more convenient.

    > Are the base vignettes available online?  

I bet ... and I would have done so even before doing a quick check.

    > If so, where are they?  

Indeed, one place is "here" (the place I work) i.e., from
	http://stat.ethz.ch/R-manual/

(which I think is one of the oldest still working R related "web pages"
 ... and yes, it shows its age :-)

    > If not, is it feasible to make them available?

The drawback of the above is that you see the future versions of
the manuals and I agree that it may make sense to provide them
in a .....r-project.org  location  (where I don't "see" them).

Martin Maechler,
ETH Zurich

    > -- 
    > Regards,
    > Richie