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Great resource if one is wanting to learn R.

noch 6y ago
> [I]f one is wanting to learn R A useful practice, in my experience, is to implement R code samples in some other language, like C/D. Implementing lower level math functions for oneself can also be fun instead of relying on a library, depending on one's ultimate goals/interests.
- adenadel 6y ago
  I think that this is a great exercise to really learn the implementation details of the methods, but the point of ISLR is more to get scientists (and the like) up and running with the usage of these methods.
- bvrstvr 6y ago
  I'm a data scientist without a formal background in programming. Can someone please explain why implementing math functions in C/D is different than doing it in R? For example, I would assume that creating a mean function using numbers and operators would be language-agnostic.
  - fizixer 6y ago
    - R: the mean function is already created - C: You will create the mean function It's the difference between using a calculator and knowing how to multiply two 5 digit numbers with pen and paper. You might say, "Oh but we can do that in R". Well, if you start doing that one function at a time, very soon you find yourself with R grinding to a halt.
    - cinntaile 6y ago
      If you want to you can recreate the mean function in R as well, so why would you choose to do it in another language if your goal is to learn R?
      - dunefox 6y ago
        No good reason for C/D/... other than the wanting to learn the particular language. Otherwise, use R or Julia to stay in the scientific domain.
    - disgruntledphd2 6y ago
      Go look at the R source for mean sometime (you want the base function). It's not as simple as one might imagine.
  - iamcreasy 6y ago
    For optimal performance you need to control few things simultaneous, such as memory allocation/access. R do now allow you to access memory but C does.
- dunefox 6y ago
  I think Julia would be a better choice, especially since you can directly use R & Python from it. This way you can implement the methods in a scientific language yourself and still use the original R methods.
saeranv 6y ago
I know R, but don't enjoy programming in it (although I love the documentation R has for its various libraries). Luckily there's various attempts to translate all the ISLR exercises into Python on github[1][2] that I have found immensely useful in understanding implementation. [1] https://github.com/JWarmenhoven/ISLR-python https://github.com/JWarmenhoven/ISLR-python [2] https://github.com/tdpetrou/Machine-Learning-Books-With-Python/tree/master/Introduction%20to%20Statistical%20Learning https://github.com/tdpetrou/Machine-Learning-Books-With-Pyth...
- larrydag 6y ago
  Interesting. I like Python but don't enjoy programming in it. I find programming with R much more to my liking. I do data analysis and modeling mostly.

noch 6y ago

> [I]f one is wanting to learn R A useful practice, in my experience, is to implement R code samples in some other language, like C/D. Implementing lower level math functions for oneself can also be fun instead of relying on a library, depending on one's ultimate goals/interests.

adenadel 6y ago
I think that this is a great exercise to really learn the implementation details of the methods, but the point of ISLR is more to get scientists (and the like) up and running with the usage of these methods.
bvrstvr 6y ago
I'm a data scientist without a formal background in programming. Can someone please explain why implementing math functions in C/D is different than doing it in R? For example, I would assume that creating a mean function using numbers and operators would be language-agnostic.
- fizixer 6y ago
  - R: the mean function is already created - C: You will create the mean function It's the difference between using a calculator and knowing how to multiply two 5 digit numbers with pen and paper. You might say, "Oh but we can do that in R". Well, if you start doing that one function at a time, very soon you find yourself with R grinding to a halt.
  - cinntaile 6y ago
    If you want to you can recreate the mean function in R as well, so why would you choose to do it in another language if your goal is to learn R?
    - dunefox 6y ago
      No good reason for C/D/... other than the wanting to learn the particular language. Otherwise, use R or Julia to stay in the scientific domain.
  - disgruntledphd2 6y ago
    Go look at the R source for mean sometime (you want the base function). It's not as simple as one might imagine.
- iamcreasy 6y ago
  For optimal performance you need to control few things simultaneous, such as memory allocation/access. R do now allow you to access memory but C does.
dunefox 6y ago
I think Julia would be a better choice, especially since you can directly use R & Python from it. This way you can implement the methods in a scientific language yourself and still use the original R methods.

saeranv 6y ago

I know R, but don't enjoy programming in it (although I love the documentation R has for its various libraries). Luckily there's various attempts to translate all the ISLR exercises into Python on github[1][2] that I have found immensely useful in understanding implementation. [1] https://github.com/JWarmenhoven/ISLR-python https://github.com/JWarmenhoven/ISLR-python [2] https://github.com/tdpetrou/Machine-Learning-Books-With-Python/tree/master/Introduction%20to%20Statistical%20Learning https://github.com/tdpetrou/Machine-Learning-Books-With-Pyth...

larrydag 6y ago
Interesting. I like Python but don't enjoy programming in it. I find programming with R much more to my liking. I do data analysis and modeling mostly.