From dmb at mrc-dunn.cam.ac.uk  Fri Nov  5 14:51:07 2004
From: dmb at mrc-dunn.cam.ac.uk (Dan Bolser)
Date: Fri Nov  5 14:51:38 2004
Subject: [Rd] idea (PR#7345)
In-Reply-To: <418B7AC7.8000103@statistik.uni-dortmund.de>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0411051330100.10126-100000@mail.mrc-dunn.cam.ac.uk>

On Fri, 5 Nov 2004, Uwe Ligges wrote:

>dan@bolser.co.uk wrote:
>
>> Full_Name: Dan B
>> Version: 2
>> OS: Fedora 2
>> Submission from: (NULL) (80.6.127.185)
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> It would be great if something like
>> 
>> currentPlot <- edit(par)
>> 
>> allowed dynamic changes to the 'currentPlot', which I am using as some kind of
>> 'magic' keyword in the above context. i.e. the value of 'currentPlot' is
>> actually an alias for whatever the current graphical object is. 
>> 
>> calling the above command would open the edit pannel for the par options
>> relevant to whatever the currentPlot object was. 
>> 
>> The changes made to par would trigger an automatic redraw of the plot, to allow
>> dynamic editing. After the changes were made and edit closed, a copy of the
>> edited par could be taken to allow the settings to be automatically applied in
>> the future.
>> 
>> Dynamic editing of all object variables could be supported through this
>> mechanism to allow a very flexible overall control of graphical objects.
>> 
>> ______________________________________________
>> R-devel@stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>
>Nice idea. Do you have any schedule for which R release R-core can 
>include your contribution? Do you get it ready for R-2.1.0?
>In particlular, I'm very interested in the way you are going to include 
>this feature for non-screen devices such as postscript()...

Please point me at the release schedule ;)



I am fairly sure you were attacking my comments with a snide email - if
that isn't the case - I am very sorry. Please note that I am not currently 
able to make a significant contribution to R, and please ignore the rest
of this email.

If you are being snide, however, ...


Naturally doing this is totally beyond me, but as an end user it is my
prerogative to suggest such things. In fact any good software product
should be bombarded with suggestions on how it could be improved. 

Hopefully my 'idea' isn't too far removed from the practicalities of
software development (given the underlying design of R). For example I
could say something like 'make R read my mind and do what I want...'.
If my idea is of the same magnitude of impossibility, I apologise,
however, the request still stands because, as an end user, I can imagine
this style of working fitting in with the way I experience using R.

I see the developer idea to make 'dynamic graphics for the computer game
generation'. I think my idea is easier to implement, but has the same
overall outcome.

I really don't understand the negative and condescending culture that seems
to pervade R-dev. OK, so I am running round like a headless chicken,
complaining all over the place, doing thing in an inappropriate way and
generally annoying people all over, but I am not a troll. I genuinely like
R and I genuinely wish it could be better in certain ways, and (perhaps
vainly) I believe I can help by making my opinion known. I just don't get
the 'shut-up and f*** off' attitude. 

Ah well .. perhaps I am just being over sensitive. Again, apologies all
round if that is the case. 



>
>Uwe Ligges
>


[Rd] idea (PR#7345)
Dan Bolser