Packages and Libraries (was: Re: lme4 "package" etc

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 23:05:20 +0000 (GMT), Prof Brian Ripley

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk wrote:

[...]

But, a propos, is there an R entity called a "library"
(other than the command) as distinct from a "package"?

Yes.  That is what the argument 'lib.loc' to library() and other functions
refers to.

A 'library' is a collection of packages stored in one directory.

library("pkg") means `go to one or more libraries, find package pkg and
load it up'

And this is the problem, that the description doesn't clearly match
the specification.

One might easily expect that library("pkg") implies use library "pkg"
for further package loading.

It's almost too bad that libraries weren't books, with packages being chapters, 
or libraries being postOffices, with packages being packages,
or packages being libraries, with libraries being cities
or libraries being libraries, with packages being books.

But the current mess wastes a good bit of time aggravating people who
want things just so, responding to people who are just careless.

best,
-tony

"Commit early,commit often, and commit in a repository from which we can easily
roll-back your mistakes" (AJR, 4Jan05).

A.J. Rossini
blindglobe@gmail.com