On 13-01-04 07:48 AM, Laurent Gautier wrote: > On 2013-01-04 12:00, r-devel-requ...@r-project.org wrote: >> Message: 16 Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 22:52:44 +0000 From: Ben Bolker >> <bbol...@gmail.com> To: <r-de...@stat.math.ethz.ch> Subject: Re: [Rd] >> Bounty on Error Checking Message-ID: >> <loom.20130103t234406-...@post.gmane.org> Content-Type: text/plain; >> charset="us-ascii" ivo welch <ivo.welch <at> anderson.ucla.edu> writes: >>> > >>> >Dear R developers---I just spent half a day debugging an R program, >>> >which had two bugs---I selected the wrongly named variable, which >>> >turns out to have been a scalar, which then happily multiplied as if >>> >it was a matrix; and another wrongly named variable from a data frame, >>> >that triggered no error when used as a[["name"]] or a$name . there >>> >should be an option to turn on that throws an error inside R when one >>> >does this. I cannot imagine that there is much code that wants to >>> >reference non-existing columns in data frames. >>> > >>> >I know you guys are saints for developing without financial support. >>> >but maybe we non-insider end-users can help by putting up a bounty >>> >list on R-project for us end-users to contribute to? I would pledge >>> >$500 to a $10,000 fund that funds a project to comprehensively enhance >>> >the programming and debugging aspects of R. it would only take 20 of >>> >us to make this possible. >>> > >>> >personally, I think basic nudgeware is the way to go. when a user >>> >starts R in interactive mode, there should be a note that says, >>> > >>> > please donate $20 to the R foundation to support the development. >>> >press enter to continue or enter your contribution number to avoid >>> >this message in the future . >>> > >>> >you can even accept the same string if need be. it's a nudge only, >>> >not a requirement. >> I did bring this idea up briefly 5 years ago (for whatever that's >> worth)Lhttp://tolstoy.newcastle.edu.au/R/e2/devel/07/05/3202.html. >> I very much doubt R-core will go for this, but there's nothing stopping >> some private citizen with time and energy on their hands from setting >> up their own private bounty system. As I see it the challenges would >> be: >> >> * setting up and administering the web site and the bounty system >> (i.e. figuring out rules for deciding when a bounty should be paid) >> * convincing the R community that their money is safe with you; >> * figuring out an appropriate payment/escrow system (Paypal?) >> * dealing with any tax and reporting issues relevant to your locality of >> receiving and disbursing money >> >> It's conceivable that some existing R-oriented entity (Mango Solutions, >> Revolution, RStudio?) would want/be willing to partner. >> >> This won't take care of getting stuff into core R, but (1) >> well-worked out proofs of concept would go a long way to convincing >> R-core; (2) a lot can be done outside of core R if (for >> example) you moved over to using data.table everywhere instead of >> data frames (only translating to data frames where absolutely necessary). >> >> (I would love a scalar data type for R, but I don't think that >> can be done without a near-complete rewrite ...) >> >> Ben Bolker >> > > The Pypy project is funding the developments of new features this way > (http://pypy.org/ - right side of the page, there are proposals, how > much they cost to implement, and how much was donated). There must be > others, I am just more aware of that one. > > A potential difficulty is that all of R-core is possibly already funded > (tenure positions in the academia, I'd guess) and might be moderately > sensitive to the fact that a given feature should be implemented because > people are paying to see it appear. > To clarify, I am *not* suggesting that R-core be funded this way, nor that bounty suggestions be implemented in base R or recommended packages, or in fact that R-core necessarily have anything to do with such a bounty scheme. Based on past conversations I think setting up mechanisms for additional funding is low on R-core's priority list, and I certainly agree that they would be sensitive about "subsidized" features. I imagined solutions being produced in the form of packages or (in a pinch) patches to specified (stable or development) versions of R. I would be hopeful that high-quality patches might then be considered by R-core ...
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