Dear Peter and John, Thank you for your explanations and suggestions. I also got an e-mail from the R core team, explaining how the message is correct.
This was in fact a langugage/translation problem. In the German version the part of the message we are talking about is in English as well: ### Lade nvtiges Paket: nnet > > Attache Paket: ?car? > > The following object(s) are masked from ?package:memisc?: > > recode ### My confusion came from the message being: > "The following object(s) are masked from 'package:A'" instead of > "The following object(s) from 'package:A' are masked" which I find easier to understand. I interpreted the word "from" as "by". Now I understand how it is meant. Thank you for your answers, Marion 2012/7/26 John Kane <jrkrid...@inbox.com> > "The following object(s) are masked from 'package:A'" > is equivalent to "The following object(s) from 'package:A' are masked" > and perhaps that might be a more universally understood phrasing. > > I do find this better but I don't see any real need to change the status > quo. It becomes fairly obvious after the first few imbroglios. > > On the other hand as they now teach passive sentence structure is harder > to understand that postive, so perhaps: > > Objects x,yz in package A mask objects x,y z in package B? > > John Kane > Kingston ON Canada > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: ehl...@ucalgary.ca > > Sent: Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:57:33 -0700 > > To: marion.we...@gmail.com > > Subject: Re: [R] package memisc: recode examples > > > > On 2012-07-25 09:29, Marion Wenty wrote: > >> Thank you, John, for the clarification! :) > >> > >> I have written to the R core team pointing this out. > >> > >> Marion > > > > I hope that you included the wording of an improved message. > > I believe that I speak English reasonably well and I disagree > > with John on this. I think that the message is in fact unambiguous. > > I don't know what the German message is, but perhaps it is not > > unambiguous. Perhaps the translation of "from" to "von" is at > > fault, since that is certainly not an unambiguous translation. > > > > If the intent were to say that the earlier-loaded package (here > > 'memisc') is masking a function in the later-loaded package > > (here 'car') then the message would say something like > > "the following object(s) are masked _by_ package:memisc". I find > > it easy to remember that the latest-loaded package is always the > > one doing the masking. > > > > As it is now, when loading package A is followed by loading > > package B, the message > > "The following object(s) are masked from 'package:A'" > > is equivalent to > > "The following object(s) from 'package:A' are masked" > > and perhaps that might be a more universally understood phrasing. > > > > Having said that there is, in my opinion, no need to alter the > > status quo, I'll nevertheless make the following suggestion. > > It may be not too difficult to rewrite the function producing > > the messages to say something like: > > "Package B is masking:" > > "from package:A", function1, function2 > > "from package:C", function3 > > etc. > > > > But I confess that I have not looked at the code and hence > > have no idea how much effort would be involved. I do feel > > that R-Core has more important things to occupy them. > > > > Peter Ehlers > > > >> > >> 2012/7/24 John Kane <jrkrid...@inbox.com> > >> > >>> > >>>> -----Original Message----- > >>>> From: marion.we...@gmail.com > >>>> Sent: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:48:10 +0200 > >>>> To: e.vettora...@uke.de > >>>> Subject: Re: [R] package memisc: recode examples > >>> > >>>> I now tried > >>>> > >>>> find("recode",mode="function") > >>>> > >>>> and got > >>>> > >>>> [1] "package:car" "package:memisc" - and got a warning > >>>> message, which said: > >>>> > >>>> ## > >>>> > >>>> Lade nvtiges Paket: nnet > >>>> > >>>> Attache Paket: ?car? > >>>> > >>>> The following object(s) are masked from ?package:memisc?: > >>>> > >>>> recode > >>>> > >>>> ## > >>>> > >>>> I would have interpreted this warning the other way around, but this > >>>> might be a language problem of mine > >>> > >>> So would I and I'm a native English speaker. I just think that some > >>> stats/programmers see the world in a very different way than "real" > >>> people. > >>> :) > >>> > >>> ____________________________________________________________ > >>> FREE 3D EARTH SCREENSAVER - Watch the Earth right on your desktop! > >>> Check it out at http://www.inbox.com/earth > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> > >> [[alternative HTML version deleted]] > >> > >> ______________________________________________ > >> R-help@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. > >> > > ____________________________________________________________ > FREE ONLINE PHOTOSHARING - Share your photos online with your friends and > family! > Visit http://www.inbox.com/photosharing to find out more! > > > [[alternative HTML version deleted]] ______________________________________________ R-help@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.