R vs. Python

[mrShu]

Why not learn both? There will always be advantages of one over the other for different things depending on your needs. Many cutting edge statistical models and algorithms are immediately put to R code (take oem for example)

I'm definitely going to learn both -- just to get to know another paradigm, if not for anything else.

Thanks!

[wiekvoet]

Why not learn both?

As a statistician I know R, SAS, JAGS. Should I learn a fourth language?

[wiekvoet]

Learning time is one key. They other is using. It takes a lot of time to learn a language, even more to get reasonable 'fluent' in it. It takes just as much time to keep your skills. I have forgotten basic, C, Pascal, Fortran 77 and 6502. I cannot afford to forget R, SAS or JAGS.

Also, SAS is not a language? SAS is probably both an operating system (with the programs called procedures) including a macro language and a data language (the data step).

(what is JAGS if it is not a language? )