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by randombytes6869 2210 days ago
Trust me, its the lack of standard library. Python and Java are both "batteries included" . You can write apps decently with just 5-10 dependencies if you want. Every JS app I've worked on has like 10-20X the dependencies of projects written in languages with a good standard lib
3 comments
ProZsolt 2210 days ago
I'm currently learning Go and it's at the other end of the spectrum. Most of my apps have only one to three dependencies and one is usually a database driver. It's a really good feeling when there is something missing from the standard library and you questioning yourself that you really need that thing.
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scottlocklin 2210 days ago
> Trust me, its the lack of standard library.

It's almost certainly not, as R has plenty of batteries, and young nitwits in the Hadleyverse are writing preposterous node-like dependency graphs. It's fashion, and it should be curb-stomped.

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dahauns 2210 days ago
I don't see how R of all languages is a useful counterexample.

It's as far a way from a general-purpose language as it can get while technically still being one, in both scope and intended use/audience.

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scottlocklin 2210 days ago
It's a useful counterexample because the problem didn't exist for the 20 years before legions of nodejs bros descended upon it and bestowed upon us the mess of hot garbage it is today. At this point, there is an entire half of the ecosystem which is unusable unless you drink the 400 dependency kool aide.
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disgruntledphd2 2210 days ago
To be fair though, there isn't as much good introductory resources on base R, that aren't very discipline specific.

I do completely agree otherwise, but those people will learn through bitter, bitter experience that those dependencies will break over time and will see the light that is base R.

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polytely 2210 days ago
Totally agree, I'm currently learning Elixir and it has been such a delight to work with compared to Javascript. I'm writing a simple static site generator and I've not used any external libraries yet, because everything I've wanted to do thus far has been easy to build with the functions included in the standard library.
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