[R] Why is there no macro facility for R?

[Sorkin, John]

Colleagues,

At the risk of being flamed, starting a war, being labeled a heretic . . . etc., I would like to ask the grey-hairs among the R listserve members a simple question. Why did the R core team not develop a macro language for R. I understand that R was designed to be a function-based language, but this does not rule out having macros as a facility that helps in code development. 

Thank you,
John


John David Sorkin M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine;
Associate Director for Biostatistics and Informatics, Baltimore VA Medical Center Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center; 
PI Biostatistics and Informatics Core, University of Maryland School of Medicine Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center;
Senior Statistician University of Maryland Center for Vascular Research;

Division of Gerontology and Paliative Care,
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