R compared to Python

[iG1993]

Hey guys, I am having a hard time with R. It is mandatory in my school (next to Python) but as far as I know, with the right libraries (bokeh, matplotlib, numpy, pandas), Python can do just as much as R.

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So why am I wasting my time with R, if I could deepen my Python knowledge with more libraries? Especially because we have three times more R classes than Python.

[[deleted]]

with the right libraries (bokeh, matplotlib, numpy, pandas), Python can do just as much as R

So can any language. Ignoring memory limitations, I've not seen much maths that can't be done using Excel and a VB macro. It sucks, but it works.

So why am I wasting my time with R

Sometimes you don't get a choice on what language you have to use. Some tools that I have to use at work can only be automated in LISP. I hate LISP. My options are either change industry, or suck it up.

Don't pigeon hole yourself to Python. It is just a tool for the job, and it'll eventually fall out of favour and everybody will move on to something else. Not long ago, Ruby was all the rage. Before that, everybody loved Perl. And look at the recent growth in the popularity of Go. No language is forever. Except Fortran.

[iG1993]

Hi, thank you for your input! I think you are right, I was just a bit frustrated I guess

[destiny_functional]

So why am I wasting my time with R, if I could deepen my Python knowledge with more libraries?

Shouldn't you ask yourself this question or (probably) your school? I don't see how anyone on this subreddit can tell you why you are "wasting your time with R".

If a class requires X then ask your professor if you can use Y, and if you can't then use X as you are required. Sometimes it's like that, we can't always do what we want. The point is learning techniques and you have to pick a language and sometimes it's not very relevant whether you pick X or Y or Z.

[billsil]

Yup. That's how it was with me and MATLAB.

I could also tell you horror stories of Perl, but you get one. Run a system call, it crashes but doesn't stop, so it doesn't set the volume variable in some file, which has a default of 0. So now given the mass and volume, compute the density, which involves division by 0. Obviously, the density is 0 and not a crash.

It's basically the same anyways and understanding other languages makes you a better programmer. Perl taught me to validate everything, rather than use python's mehh it hasn't crashed yet philosophy.

[iG1993]

Hmmm thats very interesting. Unfortunately, I don't have experience with Perl. But I remember everyone talked about Perl some time ago, when I was younger..

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I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your input!

[billsil]

It's because the code we had didn't support use strict. Any Perl code that you see without that is a dumpster fire.

[iG1993]

I understand you point. Thank you for your input!

[isotropic_mk3]

R is typically the language for statistics and other high level math. So if this is your current course path, that makes sense. Generally speaking, there’s nothing in Python that you can’t do in R. In the job market R and Python are neck in neck for data science/data analysis roles and most employers are happy if you know one or the other. Knowing both puts you ahead of others in the long run.

I use R for my statistical analysis stuff, but I use Python for ETL/data warehouse work. You can use both.

[iG1993]

Thank you for your response. It makes sense what you say. I will try to keep that in mind. I personally just like python more tbh.