bug or feature? (PR#4150)

Dear Axel,

Full_Name: Axel Benz
Version: 1.7.1
OS: Windows
Submission from: (NULL) (137.251.33.43)


This feature seems to be a basic bug:

1=="1"

[1] TRUE

as.numeric(1)=="1"

[1] TRUE

as.numeric(1)==as.character("1")

[1] TRUE

isn't it necessary to distinguish beteen numbers and characters??

Coercion to a common mode takes place in many contexts; for example:

         > 1 & TRUE
         [1] TRUE

To distinguish between numbers and characters you can, of course, use the 
predicates is.numeric() and is.character(), or test that the mode() of the 
arguments is the same.

John
-----------------------------------------------------
John Fox
Department of Sociology
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M4
email: jfox@mcmaster.ca
phone: 905-525-9140x23604
web: www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/jfox