RE: -which- [was: Re: st: AW: RE: Error ivreg2 ...]

["Schaffer, Mark E" <M.E.Schaffer@hw.ac.uk>]

Nick,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu 
> [mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Nick Cox
> Sent: 08 June 2011 07:53
> To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
> Subject: -which- [was: Re: st: AW: RE: Error ivreg2 ...]
> 
> I am agnostic on this point. Seems to me the major need is 
> for people to read the help carefully so that they understand 
> it. The help is already short and informative. Everything 
> else is secondary.
> 
> -which, all- can make things worse because anyone who does 
> not understand its output can see all versions listed and can 
> say, Yes, I have that installed.

I don't see how this can make things worse.  Anyone who doesn't understand this will also not understand what -which- without -all- is reporting and what the limitations are.  Plus anyone who is in this category, doesn't understand the -which, all- output, and then asks for help in this forum, will get help with their problem from the cognocenti a bit faster.  And the ones who do understand the -which, all- output will immediately uncover the problem.  Seems to me like a case where no-one loses and some benefit.

--Mark

> 
> Nick
> 
> On Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 4:26 PM, Schaffer, Mark E 
> <M.E.Schaffer@hw.ac.uk> wrote:
> > In any case, I think it helps to emphasise that the problem 
> was multiple versions of -ranktest- lurking on Wiebke's 
> system, as I originally suspected.
> >
> > I'm not sure this point got across originally, because 
> Wiebke's original response was that "it still does not work". 
>  But this is because the multiple versions were still there.
> >
> > I think the argument for making the default behaviour of 
> -which- to report **all** versions is getting pretty convincing.
> >
> 
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