[R] On Reproducible Code

[Bert Gunter]

....

On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Hadley Wickham <hadley at rice.edu> wrote:
> That assumes:
>
> * Everyone reads the mailing list before making the first posting
>
> * Everyone reads every part of every email.
>
> I'd argue that both assumptions are false. People are particular well
> trained to skip over boilerplate text at the bottom of emails.

-- which is why I suggested that Jim Lemon's brief version go at the top.

There's obviously no magic bullet. We're in the realm of social
psychology, I guess, here, so I certainly don't have much insight. But
I think the experiment is easy and worth trying.

-- Bert


>
> I'd suggest an alternative approach is for experts to remember what
> it's like to be a novice, and cultivate an attitude of patience and
> tolerance.  That's about as likely to happen as a mass change in
> behaviour in new users.
>
> Hadley
>
> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 9:48 AM, John Kane <jrkrideau at inbox.com> wrote:
>> I'd vote for that!
>> It would probably bug the blazes out of experienced users but the time savings in getting a newbie to actually supply enough information so that someone can, at least, try to answer the question would be well worth it.
>>
>> John Kane
>> Kingston ON Canada
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: gunter.berton at gene.com
>>> Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 07:49:28 -0700
>>> To: jrkrideau at inbox.com
>>> Subject: Re: [R] On Reproducible Code
>>>
>>> I agree and would like to see it placed at the **TOP** of every post.
>>>
>>> -- Bert
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 7:11 AM, John Kane <jrkrideau at inbox.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: jim at bitwrit.com.au
>>>>> Sent: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:21:36 +1000
>>>>> To: dcarlson at tamu.edu
>>>>> Subject: Re: [R] On Reproducible Code
>>>>>
>>>>> On 07/26/2012 01:50 AM, David L Carlson wrote:
>>>>>> We often refer requesters to the Posting Guide and chide them for not
>>>>>> reading it.
>>>>> >...
>>>>>> I hesitate to sound too optimistic, but there might be some advantage
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> making the statement more prominent and adding a reproducible example
>>>>>> using
>>>>>> dput().
>>>>>>
>>>>> The reponses to some requests for help do seem to get a volley of the
>>>>> "reproducible code" answers. Some, such as:
>>>>>
>>>>> I can't get the answer. PLEASE HELP!!!
>>>>>
>>>>> probably deserve it, but others appear to emerge from the overheated
>>>>> brain of the frustrated noob. With a wonderfully informative name like
>>>>> "dput", it is rather challenging to guess that this function is the way
>>>>> to calm the affronted guru with an example of your problem. I am
>>>>> particularly amused by the phrase "reproducible code", which sounds
>>>>> perilously close to the definition of a virus. Perhaps the neglected
>>>>> little message at the bottom of each email (which seems to reproduce
>>>>> itself) might be easier for the uninitiated to understand if it read:
>>>>>
>>>>> Please include the R code that is causing the problem _and_ enough data
>>>>> (see the "dput" function) for someone else to run the code and get the
>>>>> same problem.
>>>>>
>>>>> I can remember when I didn't know that there was a "dput" function.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim
>>>> I can remember spending a lot of time constructing a data set to post
>>>> before someone mentioned ?dput.  Ah, yes, I still have a couple of
>>>> generic ones archived.
>>>>
>>>> I think your wording above makes a lot of sense.
>>>>
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>>>> ______________________________________________
>>>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>>> PLEASE do read the posting guide
>>>> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Bert Gunter
>>> Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics
>>>
>>> Internal Contact Info:
>>> Phone: 467-7374
>>> Website:
>>> http://pharmadevelopment.roche.com/index/pdb/pdb-functional-groups/pdb-biostatistics/pdb-ncb-home.htm
>>
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>> ______________________________________________
>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>
>
>
> --
> Assistant Professor / Dobelman Family Junior Chair
> Department of Statistics / Rice University
> http://had.co.nz/



-- 

Bert Gunter
Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics

Internal Contact Info:
Phone: 467-7374
Website:
http://pharmadevelopment.roche.com/index/pdb/pdb-functional-groups/pdb-biostatistics/pdb-ncb-home.htm