"One major advantage over Python is that it's vectorised, so you can say things like A + 1 when A is a vector (or matrix). A bit like Matlab in that regard, only that it doesn't suck as much as the Matlab ``language''."
This is not very accurate. NumPy / SciPy provide vectorized matrix libraries, significantly faster than both R and Matlab for matrix operations. No argument though that Matlab as a language truly sucks =)
Re:Data Analysts Captivated by Power of R
by aposteriori on Tuesday January 06, 2009 @11:57PM
(#423026)
Well, I don't how NumPy can be significantly faster than R, as R basically passes most linear algebra down to BLAS and LAPACK. NumPy does the same, no?
Re:Data Analysts Captivated by Power of R
by pingswept on Wednesday January 07, 2009 @12:37AM
(#423060)
Yes, NumPy does the same.
Re:Data Analysts Captivated by Power of R
by shaunxcode on Wednesday January 07, 2009 @02:49AM
(#423158)
it strikes me that it would be pretty trivial to implement such syntax in smalltalk seeing as whitespace is not an issue and you can implement operators how you please per class. Or even better yet an "array based language" like Nial would be a good fit as well (think apl/j but with out the "thats just noise" readability issue)
back in uni, i used matlab everyday couple years ago, it was that function is file, so if i have 100 functions, i must have 100 files in a directory
i find that too limiting, found python+numarray+matplotlib and never looked at matlab ever since ... never regret
ironically i got a phone interview request from matlab at the end that year (i was on vacation, never got to that)
One major advantage over Python is that it's vectorised, so you can say things like A + 1 when A is a vector (or matrix). A bit like Matlab in that regard, only that it doesn't suck as much as the Matlab ``language''.