njc_stuff package updated on SSC

[Nick Cox]

Thanks as ever to Kit Baum, this package has been updated on SSC.

The following explanation is identical in spirit and similar in detail to the original 2007 announcement at https://www.stata.com/statalist/arch.../msg00889.html

You can install it by

ssc inst njc_stuff

Please note that no programs are included. The package consists of two help files only.

NJC are my own initials. The module contains lists of my programs (and a few stand-alone help files) available in the public domain.

I have been pushing stuff at the Stata community for a while through SSC, the Stata Journal, the Stata Technical Bulletin, and yet other outlets. I started to get confused and forgetful myself about what was where. I maintained private versions of these files for some years and sent copies from time to time to various people. I have some reservations about publishing them in case that act seems rather egocentric, but as usual those not interested can ignore them, and I hope that some people will find them useful by listing work that might be helpful.

Listings of SSC downloads show very little relationship between what is popular and what I am most proud of! The files do not include transient or trivial programs that never got documented properly, principally various on-the-fly efforts in Statalist postings.

Once installed you have two new help files. .

help njc_stuff

fires up an alphabetical list with annotated comments on various packages. Unless your Stata is quite old you can type spaces, not underscores, if you prefer

help njc_best_stuff

fires up a thematic list of what I consider my best stuff. "Best" is best -- in my judgement alone -- compared with what is available elsewhere. .

[Chen Samulsion]

Dear Nick, congratulations! I found a small "bug". The package -dissim- which was issued in 1999.01.08 (package dissim from http://fmwww.bc.edu/RePEc/bocode/d) maybe in conflict with Stata's offical command. When I type "help dissim" in Stata, it jumps to "help measure_option" and displays help file of [MV] measure_option -- Option for similarity and dissimilarity measures.

[Nick Cox]

Chen Samulsion Well caught.

I don't think I can or should ask StataCorp to change their link. My command is really a little deal by comparison.

The command of mine in question -- from 1999 as you report -- predates it; otherwise help dissim would never have worked previously with my command.

The trade-off here is delicate.

Renaming the command would be easy but then the archive function of SSC would be undermined. Even if it happens only occasionally people can be very frustrated if someone else uses community-contributed software which they can't find. Even the authors who did that originally can be frustrated if they can't find the software again. (We all can be flummoxed by changes of computer and/or workplace, etc.)

I think I will edit njc_stuff.sthlp so that this is explained, which is the easiest solution!

[Nick Cox]

Thanks to Kit Baum as over, package njc_stuff is updated on SSC.

[Nick Cox]

Thanks to Kit Baum as ever, package njc_stuff is updated on SSC.

[Nick Cox]

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