Data Package Query

<SNIP>

A common error by beginners (which may or may not be your problem in this case) is to create a variable called "data". Unfortunately this hides the function named "data" and from that time forward that R session doesn't work when you type example code that uses the data function.

<SNIP>

This is simply not true.  I believe it *used* to be true, sometime 
waaaaayyyy back,
but hasn't been true for years.  The R language is much cleverer now.  
If there
is a function "melvin()" somewhere on the search path and also a data object
"melvin" (earlier on the search path) then doing

     melvin(<whatever>)

will correctly call the function melvin() with no complaints.  The R 
language
"can tell" by the parentheses that you mean the *function* melvin and 
not the
data object "melvin".

E.g.

     data <- 42
     require(akima)
     akima
     Error: object 'akima' not found
     data(akima)  # No error message, nor nothin'!
     akima
     # The data set "akima" is displayed.

All that being said it is ***BAD PRACTICE***, just in terms of 
comprehensibility
and avoiding confusion, to give a data set set the same name as a function
(either built in, or one of your own).

     fortune("dog")

is relevant.

     cheers,

         Rolf Turner