[dba-Tech] Python programming language

There are 3 or 4 major statistical packages in North America.
I can think of others but would be language restricted to ones like APL

Most started life 30 years ago on mainframes, now on desktops
Exposure to them depended on what university or even government
department that you worked or studied in, or even University faculty.

SAS - Statisical Analysis System
SPSS - Statisical Program for the Social Sciences
MATLAB - MathLab for engineering
R and S Plus  open source version of SAS

R is a bigger hit in the Academic world rather than IT.

The possible open source replacement for SAS is R,
http://www.r-project.org/
There are some very notable differences between SAS and R.
Cutting edge statistics - Many are developed in R (or in its commercial
cousin - S Plus).  It takes a while for them to make it into SAS.
Graphics - R produces amazing graphics better than SAS-Graph

SAS and R are totally different in the way they work, how they are
structured, what the statements look like, and so on.

R provides a wide variety of statistical (linear and nonlinear
modelling, classical statistical tests, time-series analysis,
classification, clustering, ...) and graphical techniques, and
is highly extensible. The S language is often the vehicle of
choice for research in statistical methodology, and R provides
an Open Source route to participation in that activity.


Bryan Carbonnell wrote:

>On 10/18/06, Patti OConnor <poc231st at hotmail.com> wrote:
>  
>
>>Has anyone use the Python programming language. What is it like, how is it,
>>comments.  I was reviewing SPSS version additions and it mentioned including
>>the Python language on the CD and was wondering if it would be beneficial.
>>    
>>
>
>Patti,
>
>I have used Python before. It's actually what the software that runs
>DBAs mailing lists is written in.
>
>It's different than VB(A) but I don't think it's a huge stretch to
>learn. I mean I learned it enough to write some patches to customise
>our list software.
>
>As to how useful it is to SPSS, I can't say, mailnly because I have no
>idea what SPSS is :)
>
>  
>

-- 
Marty Connelly
Victoria, B.C.
Canada